


Battle of Wills

by misspandalily



Category: Naruto
Genre: Drama, F/M, Fights, Friendship/Love, Romance, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-14
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-08-15 00:06:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 49,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8034274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misspandalily/pseuds/misspandalily
Summary: Every year, Konohagakure's most powerful (and pompous) group of fighters are pitted against Sunagakure's formidable crew of rowdy delinquents in a competition of supernatural prowess and mental potency to strengthen the alliance between their two countries. But with a dark force on the rise, coupled along with unexpected feelings, will this tournament be more than they expected?Cross-posted from fanfiction.net!





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Throughout the history of the shinobi world, three major wars have taken place. The First Great Shinobi War, which commenced not long after Konohagakure was established, involved the majority of shinobi villages and countries. Twenty or so years passed by in peace after this first War, but the economic discrepancy between the countries had become a serious problem and soon the countries had started using military force to expand their territories, thus forming The Second Great Shinobi War. Years later, due to a decline in power, the reign of the Five Great Countries was deteriorating, and skirmishes with smaller nations broke out frequently along their borders. The prolonged war gradually spread its fires far and wide, until at last it developed into the Third Great Shinobi World War.

Of all the Shinobi Wars that have occurred throughout the existence of shinobi, the Third Great War was said to be the worst - even children from the most powerful villages were sent out to fight, their lives were literally defined as a fleeting moment.

In the midst of this atrocious shinobi battle, a group named Akatsuki was said to have been formed, supposedly from Amegakure. With the oppression that the organisation's home faced during The Third Great War, the group's alleged intial goals were to fight against this tyranny, along with the long-term goal of world peace.

However, in a battle with the famous Hanzo of the Salamander, Yahiko - student of the Legendary Sannin Jiraiya, and leader of the Akatsuki- sacrificed himself for the group to survive and bring peace to the world. Inevitably, all great things must come to an end. As time passed on for the amnesty group, ideals became twisted, corrupted, and fearsome S-ranked criminals joined the ranks. Eventually, the organisation's blackened name spread universally and had become feared amongst all of the Five Great Country's leaders for the nefarious power they displayed in battle (one of those witnessed being Deidara of Iwagakure, who was reported to have the ability to create extremely deadly explosives out of clay).

Those who had opposed and fought against the Akatsuki never made it back to their loved ones alive.

Along with the escalating might of the Akatsuki came the mounting terror felt by the Five Great Countries. The threat of a Fourth Great Shinobi War erupting while all five shinobi villages and their people alike were barely recuperating from the terrifying outcomes of the Third Great War was too much, and the world fell into chaos. The Akatsuki, sensing this catastrophy, made its first move. Millions perished from bombing attacks, and shinobi leaders were faced with volatile riots, dwindling populations and finally, a power-hungry group ready to conquer the world.

With a new war becoming reality, the Five Great Shinobi Villages finally went into action. An alliance was made by the two villages Sunagakure and Konohagakure, whilst the minimal blacksmiths still alive immediately set to work forging weaponry for shinobi and skilled fighters. Strategists, village elders and Kages gathered around in tiny huts planning their military strategies, food sources were ever-so-slowly increasing and shinobi trained day and night in preparation for war with the meager resources they were given.

Several days passed before rumours of strange activities reached the ears of all Kages - an abundance of supernatural spirits were reported to have been spotted "'frolicking' around in the coldest of rocky climates, bathing in the scorching hot waters of frightening lakes, leaping around in the burning lava of volcanoes, and coming out alive - an overall peaceful race despite their frightening abilities." Taking immediate action, the most skilled of shinobi were sent to investigate this phenomenon and capture these beings before returning to their respective villages - such abilities were not to be wasted in such desperate times, especially when such high potential for weaponry was involved.

As a result, hoards of spirits were reeled into the villages, sealed inside heavy-duty scrolls and ruthlessly tied up to be presented to the leaders. They were named Shinjinbukai (Godly) for the exponential increase in power they provided, and eventually, the shinobi world opened up to a brighter era. Trade routes opened up in every village and war-torn countryfolk were able to enter the villages and register themselves as citizens. This period, as brief as it was, was a time of relative peace - away from the stressfulness of wars. Needless to say, terrorist organisations only thrived as relentlessly as their reputations did. It was laughable - a powerful cluster of notorious individuals who'd wreaked havoc on the entire planet vanquished with the discovery of more remarkable beings.

They grew spiteful, enraged, by the dramatic loss of power, seized the few remaining Shinjinbukai they could find. Their sudden disappearance was written down as "unknown" in every record book, despite the strenuous efforts of all Five Nations. With the new reign of peace ruling over the world, more attention was focused onto the ethereal life-forms, and amazing breakthroughs were uncovered. Long term exposure revealed an enhancement of an individual's abilities, as proven by Senju Tsunade's unfathomable increase in strength and medical skills.

Another discovery was made months later when an ordinary man became "one" with a Shinjinbukai, having been assigned to take care of the particularly volatile spirit. The man gained the abilities of that Shinjinbukai, altered to suit his own skills and thus became the first Gensho. Although, unlike those whose skills were only enhanced, his limited chakra was replaced with the spirit of the Shinjinbukai, which flowed through his veins. Excited from this sudden unearthing, this process of "spiritbonding" occurred with many shinobi and commonfolk in the hopes of obtaining these gifts, but those whose bodies were incompatible instantly passed away.

Only one hundred people worldwide had successfully "spiritbonded", and the remaining thousands of spirits also passed away from the strenuous efforts of the humans trying in vain to bond with the Shinjinbukai. However, these traits were revealed to be hereditary, as most children produced from Genshos inherited the same, if not similar abilities. Separate Academies were thus established in order to hone the young Genshos' skills. They underwent vigorous training in order to take on missions after graduation, similar to the ninja's education system.

However, unlike their shinobi counterparts, Gensho students entered at the age of fifteen and ended at nineteen years old, as the inherited abilities rarely manifested before the mid-teen years. However, prior to their enrolment, the children were entitled to attend normal schools, or be given an education in an alternative manner.

As such, five Academies were established internationally;

Konohagakure's Gensho Academy of the Leaf;

Sunagakure's Gensho Academy of the Sand;

Kumogakure's Gensho Academy of the Lightning;

Kirigakure's Gensho Academy of the Mist; and

Iwagakure's Gensho Academy of the Rock.

True to the alliance formed between Sunagakure and Konohagakure decades prior, one elite team from each of the Academy were selected to compete in the annual Gensho Tournament, strengthening the bond between the countries while attracting clients for their upcoming careers. It was a true display of fighting prowess and economic opportunities reserved only for the elite of the elite.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After that somewhat tedious (but very necessary) prologue, I greatly appreciate anyone who is willing to continue reading my story, because that is some strong curiosity you have there. :)

The last thing Senju Tsunade ever wanted to do was become the principal of Konoha's Gensho Academy. But how, just how, could she refuse such a request from the distinguished Sandaime Hokage himself? It wasn't like he couldn't have chosen someone else to do the job - someone much, much more willing than she'd ever be. It wasn't like she was the best candidate for the job either. Heck, anything to do with being in charge of a group of horny, volatile teenagers gave her the worst headaches - ever. And it certainly wasn't because she was the most responsible one of his three students; especially since she was spotted holding a bottle of sake at least twice a week. By a student.

But after being chased down relentlessly by her idiotic, perverted teammate and his hyperactive godson, she found herself sitting inside a well-furbished office with a stack of paperwork and application forms positioned innocently on her mahogany desk. She sighed and tiredly placed an elbow on her desk, cursing when it missed the hard, wooden surface. Recomposing herself, Tsunade's eyes flew to a photograph of her former teammate and old - dare she say it - friend Jiraiya standing next to a young boy with striking blonde hair and a happy grin on his face.

He wore a striped orange and yellow party hat and was holding a large cake that had a large "14" candle stuck in the middle of it to mark the occasion. She smiled softly; the boy was like the sunshine, always walking around with a gleeful smile on his face and yelling his motivational catchphrases to everyone around town. _Deep down_ , she thought to herself, _I probably do love these two._

A loud ringing sound brought her attention to the phone vibrating at her side. She picked it up, took one glance at the caller ID, and groaned miserably.

"This had better be quick - I have work to attend to." Boisterous laughter was her response, and she held the phone away from her ear with a grimace.

"Don't tell me the Princess can't even spare a few minutes for her good old pal Jiraiya!"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

Jiraiya's mirth slowly vanished at her sharp tone, and he cleared his throat awkwardly. "He's back."

Tsunade frowned.

"I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific."

"Well, you know that one guy you dated a while back?"

She rolled her eyes and glanced at the mahogany wood clock on the wall beside her, cursing him for interrupting her schedule. She had a school assembly in a few minutes and the last thing she wanted to do was sit back and gossip idly with her oaf of a friend. Whatever drove him to suddenly bring up her past, she had no idea, but Jiraiya would have to wait for another time to have this conversation with her. She had grumpy parents to appease and a bucket-load of new arrivals to welcome. Grabbing hold of several files in her hand, Tsunade briskly stood up from her chair and gulped down a bottle of sake.

"I don't have time for this, Jiraiya. Goodbye."

* * *

 As it turns out, she was given more than enough time for 'this'. Standing up in front of a substantial amount of people and repeating essentially the same things she said in previous years wasn't the best part of her day. It was boring, it was grueling, and she was nursing an irritating hangover. Though, she supposed the word "irritating" applied more to the man currently standing beside her on the stage.

"A huge congratulations to those entering their senior year this year - may you have the best of luck conquering your obstacles, a big pat on the back for those who have passed your tests and moved on to the next level, and a warm welcome to the new students - your journey begins here." Tsunade paused for a quick smile up at the crowd. "And, of course, after an extremely long voyage around the world, we welcome home our new Advanced Combat teacher and Vice Principal - Kato Dan."

* * *

 

"What the hell were you thinking, Sarutobi? Bringing Dan back?"

"That's Hokage to you, Principal," he looked up from his paperwork and fixed a steady gaze on Tsunade's face, "And besides, I really don't see the issue here. His skills are beyond his years, he has vasts amounts experience fighting deadly criminals worldwide, and he's good with people. Give me one very good reason why I shouldn't have hired him."

"He broke my heart? Struck me down and left me for dead? And in the middle of a bloody storm, I might add." She paced around the Hokage's office furiously. "I thought staff additions had to be reviewed by everyone! They're all supposed to be unanimous."

"I went to the board and they all agreed that Kato Dan was extremely qualified for the roles. Tsunade, we all knew that you'd put your foot down at Dan, and that is why we didn't go to you - you're so overcome with emotion around him that you fail to see what has changed. He's not the foolish boy he used to be - one month of working with him should have made that clear."

It was true. Dan had transformed from a baby-faced idealist to a calm, humbled and level-headed leader who never failed to teach his students to the best of his abilities. In-office, he was a professional. Everything was done promptly and submitted on-time, and his performance levels were phenomenal. But, outside of school, he was such an _asshole_. It was as if everything he'd ever constructed for himself disappeared the moment he walked out the large door of the Academy. Pranking, insulting, obnoxious confidence - and it was mainly around her.

"I expected more professionalism from you, Tsunade. Leave."

* * *

 

She knew she had a drinking problem. The alcohol always left her grouchy and tired, but it worked well enough to erase all the bad memories from her mind.

In all honesty, Tsunade hadn't touched a drink in months after her conversation with the Hokage. She had been working her butt off, and even hired a secretary to assist her with the excessive workload. As luck would have it, she was Kato Dan's beloved niece, Shizune, but she worked just as well as he did and always had a pleasant countenance inside and outside of the workplace. She could let that small problem go.

As though Kami had acknowledged her efforts, Dan had even stopped the hassling outside of work and she was on good terms with the Hokage again. Things were looking up, at least for a little while.

She'd decided to throw a party at the end of the year to celebrate the hard work of all the employees. And, as Tsunade-parties usually went, it was at the local bar, and apparently she hadn't been working all too well on her alcohol addiction. Just the mere sight of the sake bottles brought back the cranky drunkard she was a year ago. But everyone let it slide - it payed to make friends in the workplace.

The night was reaching an end, and most of her co-workers were either buzzed or drop-dead drunk from the excessive drinking. Frankly, she knew she should've thought twice about treating teachers to alcohol when most of them hadn't even touched a bottle since the start of the year. But Tsunade quickly drowned that voice out with another cup of sake.

"You know, despite being here for over four hours, you seem to be holding up pretty well." The owner of a male voice seated himself beside her, chuckling slightly when she rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"I've had practice. Seven years of it."

Dan sighed, catching onto her implication, and ran a hand frustratedly through his long hair. "I'm sorry."

Tsunade scoffed.

"I was young, idealistic, stupid. I thought that if I took that mission, my career would skyrocket, I'd be famous - and it worked."

"Let me guess," she added sarcastically, "And now you have everything you've ever wanted."

She could feel his gaze locking onto her face, with its make up slightly worn off from the night's events. "No." She raised an eyebrow and returned his gaze. Dan rested his palm on her cheek, flushed red from the excessive alcohol. "You're everything I've ever wanted."

Golden eyes widened upon hearing these words, but Dan went on before she could reply. "When the mission was over, everything I'd gained throughout those seven years became...insignificant. I have power, but I don't want it. I have riches, but I don't need it. I have fame, but the only person I want recognition from is the woman that I am talking to. The strong, resilient, beautiful woman whom I have neglected and treated like dirt for several long, long years."

She was looking directly at him now, torn between flinging her arms over his broad shoulders, and beating him to a pulp for bringing up memories she'd pushed out of her mind a long time ago. All the times she'd spent crying in her apartment, lamenting the loss of her family, and then her lover. All the time she'd spent isolated and unfeeling, both among and apart from others. All the times she'd spent gambling away her fortune in a shady casino.

All the times she'd sought solace in the comforts of alcohol.

"Tsunade, I don't ask for your forgiveness, you have every reason to despise me. But I lo-"

"Enough," the blonde woman made a move to get off her seat, but was stopped by a warm hand. Enraged, Tsunade pulled herself out of Dan's grasp and glared at him. He flinched. "Bringing up past events will do nothing for our situation. What's done is done, so why don't you take a piece of my advice? Move on, or move out."

* * *

 

Looking back, there were many things Tsunade wished she could've changed. She wished she'd listened to Dan's words before she'd cut him off. She wished she hadn't been so stubborn and accepted him back into her life. She wished that she'd at least looked at him, and memorised his beautiful features, before storming out of the bar last night.

But most of all, she wished she'd known that that would be the last time they would ever speak.

But there were some things that could never be changed. A freak accident during one of Kato Dan's most intense Combat classes set fire to the entire classroom before spreading out to engulf the school. Only one life was lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise that this chapter isn't just a random filler - there is some cataphoric tie to events that will transpire later on. And, I swear that it's a NejiTen one as well.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Good weather, check. Clean office, check. Building constructions complete, check. Did I win the lottery? Yes. Blast, it's going to be a bad day.

"Shizune, my office. Now. Summon Jiraiya too. Where did he run off too?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am."

The busty blonde kunoichi interlocked her fingers and rested them under chin, choosing to ignore the omitted answer. She thanked whatever heavenly being was watching over her, because the last thing she needed was a continuation of the stress she experienced reconstructing the Academy. Then again, the stress did successfully distract her from Dan's death, and now that it's gone...Shizune burst into the office with a piglet in her arms, chest heaving from all the running. She straightened herself up after a few seconds of catching her breath and begun to report to her employer when a sudden crash and scream filled the hallway. Tsunade rubbed her temples, sighing loudly. I really need a drink right now.

"U-um, Principal Tsunade, I-"

"Sake."

Shizune placed the piglet on the ground and crossed her arms over her chest, looking at her sympathetically. Tsunade winced. She hated that look, that knowing, knowing look. "I'm trying to take care of you, Tsunade, for my uncle." Tsunade ignored her, holding her hand out for liquor instead.

"Please."

"But-"

"Now, darling. Where is that fool of a toad-dweller?" No reply came from her personal assistant.

"Well?"

"He's...gathering information," she answered timidly. A vein popped up on Tsunade's head as she fought to maintain composure. I see. Just then, a tail of spiky white hair appeared, revealing a burly, red man grinning ear to ear at her through the window. He opened the hatch and climbed over the sill, tripping over in the process and landing flat on his face.

Shizune rushed over to help the man up as Tsunade sighed and walked over to him with ominously echoing steps. He looked up, terror evident in his features, and winced with every step she took towards him.

"Gathering information, Jiraiya? You're lucky this school is brand new and I'm on a tight budget, or else you would've had to say goodbye to that pathetic little head of yours."

"Sorry, ma'am."

She gave him one last glare and walked quickly over to her desk, sitting down in her seat while Shizune and Jiraiya made light conversation.

"So, Shizune, brand new, eh? So where did all the Genshos study during that time?"

"We used the training arena in the Hokage building and a few other large areas as a substitute. Principal Tsunade helped redesign the entire Academy and as you can see, it's a lot more advanced in terms of architecture and technology. We're extremely proud of the new gym she designed and of course, the left wing of the Academy which is strictly reserved for those participating in the Tournament." Jiraiya nodded, impressed that they'd so quickly reconstructed twenty years of Konohan history in a meagre two years. The Principal extracted a bottle of sake from the loose floorboard underneath her desk (desperate times called for desperate measures - a good policy) and cleared her throat to catch their attention.

"As you may be aware, the Gensho Tournament is happening in a matter of days," she opened the bottle and took in their blank expressions, "or not."

Jiraiya was the first to speak up, "Already? You sure work fast. What about the accommodations? The arena? And renewing the Alliance?"

His teammate waved off his questions with hurried nods and clipped affirmations. "And the food, location negotiations, contracts, insurance, Forest of Death, you name it."

The two employees stood back in awe at her efficiency, knowing that she'd spent most of the two years drinking, gambling, or stressing over the construction itself. Then again, she remedied that with drinking and gambling as well. She rolled her eyes. "I've been planning this on top of the rebuild period, Jiraiya. We're extremely lucky that Suna's Academy allowed us some time to finish off reconstruction. Thankfully, Baki's more reasonable than his reputation hints at."

"What about the competitors? We can't strengthen any Alliances without anyone competing in the Tournament, Principal." Shizune refrained from glaring at the sake bottle in her boss's hand. Tsunade handed over a manila folder in a frustrated manner, enjoying the fruits of her hard labour - their renewed acknowledgement of her abilities. She didn't miss the way Jiraiya's eyes widened when he came across a particular name.

"Naruto! My boy!" he threw his arms into the elatedly, scattering all the files in the folder around the room. Shizune hissed venomously. "I knew it! You have a soft spot for him! My boy!" The principal held back a gleeful grin, and denied any implied favouritism. He was a remarkable warrior on his own, being proficient in both his own ability and shinobi hand-to-hand combat techniques, not to mention 'keeping his cool in tough situations' (which Jiraiya was evidently inept at, judging by his beet-red face in the hot springs).

Tsunade held up a hand when he looked dangerously close to hugging the life out of her, or her boobs - it was a two-way street with Jiraiya. She calmly collected the files from Shizune and with a few hand seals, they disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"What did you just do?" Jiraiya sent her a confused glance. Weren't those files classified?

"You'll see," she cackled mysteriously, choking when Shizune lunged for her bottle.

* * *

Class-time was Neji's favourite part of the day.

He relished in the feeling of being surrounded by theoretical studies, complicated calculations and the rigorous training established by Konoha's finest Gensho Academy. It made him feel productive, accomplished, and he wanted more of it. More of the strenuous work that caused his classmates to groan and moan in agony and helped him rise above the standards that his teachers set. Neji was levels higher than the rest of his age group, and delighted in the fact that he was regarded as a prodigy by the people around him, whether they liked him or not.

He supposed that, looking back, it was inevitable that his younger cousin would be targeted since no one could physically or academically beat him.

Hinata didn't thirst for the acknowledgement that he sought, neither did she possess the same ambition to rise above her station - she was always more content with tending to the gardens of the Hyuga Compound, or drinking tea with Kurenai-sensei after classes ended, despite her falling grades and ridiculously unremarkable fighting prowess. Neji cared little for her as a person, but was honour-bound to protect her, the Hyuga heiress.

It was pure luck that brought him to the scene where two rowdy boys rounded on his cousin. He remembered her eyes widening when he arrived, fuming, with figurative steam blaring from his nostrils, and ignored the beginnings of a smile quirking up at the corner of her lips. He'd pulled the duo back by their collars and slammed them into the nearby lockers. They'd whimpered at the impact, and slumped onto the ground in shock before running away. He recalled turning to the heiress triumphantly before she acted completely uncharacteristically and slapped him across the face. Neji was never one for spontaneity, and reeled back in shock.

"What did you just do!" Hinata yelled at him, momentarily losing her characteristic stutter, "They were my friends! My new friends! I haven't had a friend since- since K-Kana died! Two years ago!" His reply, for her to simply make friends, was shut down with another glower. "I tried, and failed, because you were breathing down my back all the time!"

Neji saw it as a necessary precaution that every friend Hinata made needed to have their backgrounds, socio-economic and elsewise, checked thoroughly by him, his uncle, and the clan. They'd agreed with him, of course.

"Hinata-sama," he started commandingly, "You know that every comerade you make must be-"

Her scowl deepened, so Neji stopped talking altogether. "Nii, I do not need my father with me at all times. And I do not need the clan to constantly make my decisions for me!"

He'd gaped widely, and blinked twice. "Whyever not?"

Needless to say, Neji could not understand social niceties for the life of him, even though he'd undergone and perfected etiquette training from the clan. He looked up from his textbook, continuing to copy down the teacher's notes from the whiteboard, when a crane fluttered into the classroom and landed on his desk. He heard masculine sniggering coming from behind him and turned around to glare at the perpetrators, who were (characteristically) the boys he'd protected Hinata from the other day. They visibly wilted under his gaze. Professor Danzo fixed his attention onto Neji sternly.

"Neji, please show us the message on your lovely crane," he said sarcastically. Neji frowned, opening up the origami bird in front of the entire class, who looked like they were about to fall out of their chairs laughing. He heard whispers floating around at his ears: Neji Hyuga? A crane? If only I had a camera.

What he saw, however, was a far cry from the usual marriage proposal. The paper straightened out as soon as he smoothed out the final crease. He smirked at Danzo, the class, the two idiots.

"Congratulations, you have been selected to participate in the Sunagakure-Konohagakure Gensho Alliance Tournament," he lifted his eyes from the paper and arrogantly drunk in the jealously radiating off his classmates, "Please report to the Principal's office immediately."


	4. Chapter 3

"You may enter."

Exactly seven students filed into Principal Tsunade's lavishly decorated office with elated grins on their faces, forming a horizontal line opposite to two of Konoha's Legendary Sannin. Golden-brown eyes scrutinised every person who entered, mentally ticking off those she did know and those she didn't. For the most part, they were the prodigal students who'd achieved the highest grades in their respective fields, or made their presence annoyingly obvious to the school's population. Jiraiya beamed directly at his godson, not bothering to hide his obvious favouritism. Naruto gave him a thumbs up and a loud 'whoop' as a reply. She really needed another drink.

"Congratulations, you seven have been selected to compete in this years Gensho Alliance Tournament." She looked at them expectantly, and they delivered her expectations with several loud choruses of the national anthem and whooping. Her ears felt like exploding when Jiraiya joined in. When they settled down, she continued her speech. "The Academy in Suna has kindly allowed us to stall this Alliance competition for us to rebuild our school." She paused momentarily, letting the message sink in. Everyone knew about the explosion; it'd been all over the news two years ago. "Having delayed the competition for this long has certainly weakened our bonds with The Academy of the Sand, despite the efforts of our own Sandaime Hokage. This time round, everyone, I expect the best performances from everyone - meaning, from general courtesies to combat skills. You must all be on your best behaviour." She shot a glare at Naruto, who pouted indignantly. "This year, the Gensho Tournament is situated in Konoha and as the host country we must provide excellent hospitality as well as competition for them. Every body, this is crucial to both the welfare of our country and to prevent any wars from breaking out. Am I understood?"

A fresh-faced, pink-haired girl was the only one to speak up.

"Shishou, what exactly happens in this competition?"

Tsunade smiled in approval at her favourite student. Sakura was a star pupil who demonstrated the same abilities as she did, and possessed the same steady control. "A good question. As you know, the school's left wing, which is strictly prohibited for all students, is where all fourteen of you will be staying whilst training for the Tournament itself, held in the Forest of Death. Each of you will be staying in a room with a member from the opposing team to form relationships with them, obviously to build up bonds between citizens and thus between coun-"

"We're sharing rooms with those Sand-rats?!"

"-tries. And Naruto, this is exactly the kind of behaviour I do not want to see or hear about from anyone on this team, especially you, you prankster."

"Naruto," Jiraiya said with a stern expression, "don't sulk about it, she's right. The people in Suna aren't like us. Both the Hidden Village and Country levels with us in terms of prosperity, but living in harsh climatic conditions means you have to be tougher to survive; meaning, if you so much as insult them at any degree, they'll rip you to shreds. Be on your best behaviour, or a war will break out between the two countries. Eventually."

Naruto's previously slouched shoulders straightened as a look of agreement settle across his features. "Alright, I understand, dattebayo."

Tsunade stood up, strode quickly over to a dark drown closet beside her desk and unlocked it before taking out a large brown box and setting it down on her desk. She turned towards the teenagers and pointed towards the box.

"You are all required to wear a uniform during the physical components of this competition, mainly for your training and the...tasks given to you at the final venue, the events of which will be revealed to you in due time," she called out as she handed each of the students a pile consisting of a sleek, black pair of pants, a red tank top, a long-sleeved mesh shirt and a black jacket - all wrapped up in clear plastic packets and in their sizes. "You are all required to wear shinobi footwear. Make sure you keep these safe. The tank tops are red for the Fire Country, and you will soon notice that the competitors in Suna have yellow ones. Don't think too much about it. Any questions?" She briskly barked out orders at them, already growing tired of being around people other than...well, herself. She thought it was amazing that she was still this Academy's Principal.

"Am I allowed to bring in my dog Akamaru?" asked a spiky-haired brunette.

"If, Inuzuka Kiba, animals are a necessary tool, then yes." He grinned and turned to hi-five Naruto, who was examining every inch of his uniform.

A shy, long-haired girl raised her hand and abruptly asked, "When will the other team arrive, Tsunade-sama?"

"Three hours."

Jiraiya, who was still proudly beaming at his godson and making his favouritism blatantly obvious, turned to face Tsunade with a shocked expression.

"Honestly, Tsunade, you couldn't have given me a warning? Tonight? You said it'd be a few days!"

She rolled her eyes and fired back, "All arrangements have been made and confirmed, Shizune and I have gone through everything, from the bedsheets to the security. Everything. Will. Be. Fine. Oh, speaking of which, kids, best behaviour, best clothes, prepare your supplies for the next few weeks, an information booklet is in that uniform packet, buy the shoes, leave."

They bustled out of the room, curious expressions evident on their faces as they watched the two Sannin continue to argue. Naruto ran down the hallway excitedly, already challenging Lee to a fight in the gym. Neji hovered just outside of the door, revelling in the opportunity that was randomly thrusted upon him. He held back a smile while nodding at the lazy-looking Nara boy who looked like he was seconds away from sleeping. Hinata had excused herself to run to Kurenai's office the moment they exited Tsunade's, throwing a glare in his direction. He brushed it off nonchalantly.

Petty antics never bothered him, anyway.

* * *

Meanwhile, Temari no Sabaku strode down the corridors of Sunagakure's Academy of the Sand, smiling politely at every compliment thrown at her as she drew nearer and nearer to the bus waiting outside the school gates. She paused a step away from the bus entrance and looked back, waving at all the people standing behind the gates expectantly. They cheered loudly. She took a breath and climbed into the vehicle, grinning from ear to ear as she greeted her teammates.

"Sis! Took you long enough. We've been waiting for ages." She laughed, thwacking Kankuro over the head with her fan before plonking down next to Tenten.

"Kankuro, I had real matters to deal with. Like dad. At least I don't pack on a whole heap of make-up like you and Gaara do. I'm supposed to be the female in the family." Kankuro scoffed in indignation, knowing that hey, that wasn't exactly false, but still..., and cranked up the volume on his device. He winced when the music was loud enough to blare out of his earphones clearly, tuning it down a notch. With a triumphant smile, and a playful ruffling of his hair, Temari settled down in her seat just as the driver started to close the doors. "Hang on a sec, where's Ino? STOP THE BUS! STOP! Head count time!" She sang loudly, causing the driver to stomp on the brakes frantically.

Tenten rolled her eyes at the red-headed boy in the opposite row while Temari listed out the present members. "Okay, so we have: Tenten, Kankurou, Gaara, Me, Sai, Sasuke?"

"Here."

"Thanks. Does anyone know where Ino is? I swear to Kami she's always late for something."

"Seriously," replied Tenten spoke up from behind her, "she's probably lathering on a year's worth of make-up. We should just ditch her and bring like, Kin, with us." Temari pursed her lips and shook her head firmly, citing conflict of interest with the other girl - namely, Uchiha Sasuke.

"Relax, Tenten," he called out, leaning over Tenten's seat to speak to her, "If she wants make-up, give her make-up. Trust me, you don't know what she's like when she's all riled up and all..."

"Okay, first of all, that is a very non-feminist statement and even though I don't like Ino, every woman deserves to be treated and talked about with respect." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her, while nodding in slight agreement. "That being said, yeah, I'm a bit of a hypocrite but that was too much information." He smirked and leaned back into his seat, resting an arm up on his armrest contentedly. Temari was seconds away from panicking, ranting to her youngest brother about the importance of punctuality while he stared back uninterestedly.

"I'M HERE!" A platinum blonde girl rushed into the bus, doors closing behind her as she slumped down in the seat next to Sai. Breathing heavily, she put down her bag and turned towards Team Suna's leader. "Sorry I'm late, there was this massive crowd outside and it was really hard to get through."

Temari smiled. "Yea, shit happens. But if you left earlier, there wouldn't have been any problems with maneuvering through the crowds. Make sure it doesn't happen next time, got it?"

"So now you're calm and collected?" Gaara fired at her, which was promptly ignored in favour of sleeping on Tenten's shoulder.

Ino smiled brightly at her and nodded, then attempted to start a conversation with the boy situated next to her, albeit unsuccessfully. Sasuke sat down behind her and muttered in her ear,

"Ignore him, Ino. Sai doesn't socialise. Why don't you sit next to me instead? You haven't done that in a long time." Tenten glared at him for the sake of upholding her values, and he backed down.

Ino glowered and pushed Sasuke out of the way and moved to sit next to the silent redhead, who sent her an acknowledging glance. She grimaced and closed her eyes. Might as well catch up on lost sleep.

The bus engine revved up and set off down the road, leaving a trail of people cheering noisily behind it as it headed towards the Hidden Village of the Leaf.


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer! I don't own Naruto.

Alright crew, listen up." Temari suddenly stood up from her seat, jolting Tenten out of her nap. The brunette grimaced. "ETA in one hour, and it's about time we discuss our strategy for this Tournament, so get your lazy asses off your seats and gather around!" She grinned energetically and tapped her foot on the seat several times, waiting impatiently for her sleepy team to congregate. "First things first, we need an image."

"An image?" Sasuke repeated dumbly.

"Yes. We need to find a way to capture people's attention."

"Why not just go in normally. That's what all the other teams did in the past."

Temari nodded her head in agreement. "Bo-o-ring! This year, we want people to notice us. We want them to really focus their attention on us, and let's face it: if we just waltzed in and back out like all the previous Suna competitors, whose team would the home country root for? And what about all those potential clients watching us, whose team would they focus more attention on?"

"Konoha's team," Ino piped up, having woken up from her sleep seconds before, "A valid point."

Temari flashed her a brilliant smile. "Well, this year our team definitely has something all the other teams never had. Spunk. Just think, we can use this spunk to our advantage - I'm thinking bold and daring, but to an extent. Recklessness won't get us anywhere either."

"So," spoke up Gaara, "I see where you're coming from. This so called 'image' you want our team to keep up will indeed bring more attention to our team and its individuals, but what if our "bold and daring" attitudes attract too much attention? You should know what would happen to us should we perform one little fault - not only will we be ridiculed about all around the world, our Academy's reputation will be ruined! As our team captain, you need to think this through more."

Tenten, seeing the unconvinced expression on her best friend's face, quickly interjected. "Temari, as much as your idea is fantastic, Gaara's right. We need to discuss this more as a group and set some ground rules before we commence, especially with the attention we'll be gathering later on."

Gaara shot her a rare smile. The entire group awkwardly acknowledged Temari's sudden drop in confidence, watching her mull over her ideas in silence. Keeping up an image, as she thought, wasn't just a way to attract attention. It was to make sure their true abilities - supernatural and mental - lay hidden in themselves before the Final Battle of the competition, even though its entire purpose was to promote inter-group bonding. Some secrets needed to be kept in the dark.

Temari sighed after a lengthy pause. "Alright, I get it. So, rules. Number one: No-"

"No violating anyone on the other team." Kankurou exclaimed, earning several shocked glances. "What? It's bound to happen! If not by Mr. Uchiha over there, then by Konoha's team. And if that happens, we'll obviously be the ones on the moral highground!"

"Nicknames," Sai interjected himself into the conversation, surprising his team members, "According to this handbook, lowering the register between participants through diminutive names promotes camaraderie and serves to reflect the minimalized social distance between, in this instance, a group. May I have the honour of distributing these nicknames?"

They took a moment to process his words. Then with a joyous laugh, Temari hugged Sai, surprising the boy. "Sai! You're a genius! Alright everybody, let's set to work. We don't have much time left."

She clicked her fingers and barked orders to her team members, who willingly obliged, knowing there was no way Temari would be distracted once she started something. Sasuke, who took a moment to observe the bustling scene before him, smirked at his leader's imperious commands to the two other females in his group ("Ten, I don't care if you hate make-up, this is for the team. Now, go, go, go!"). He watched them bicker back and forth with Temari, whose face was becoming redder by the minute as more they refused to co-operate with her ludicrous demands. Several objects flew around the bus as Temari finally snapped -

"All of this arguing! You will work together, Ino. You will wear make-up, Tenten. You need to look presentable for a minimum of...ten hours! DO you hear me? And Sasuke, do what I told you to do or I swear I will cut off your-"

He narrowly avoided a sharp object flying in his general direction and chuckled while extracting his best clothes from the suitcase.

* * *

To say that Konohagakure was in a state of anxiety was an understatement. It was the epitome of cluttered chaos. With only twenty or so minutes to spare before the arrival of their Suna guests, and a number of tasks to be completed before the Opening Ceremony, everyday citizens, shinobi and Gensho alike were zooming around the Village in preparation for the month's events.

Amidst the confusion, a slim, dark-haired girl clad in black trudged up a grassy hill. She bore a bouquet of white flowers which were reflected in her equally-white eyes - now glassy from the tears that threatened to pour down her heart-shaped face.

She arrived at the top and walked towards a humble-looking gravestone. Ever so carefully, she knelt down to place the flowers in a plain white vase in front of the stone and wiped off heavily-accumulated dust resting on the metal plaque. Hyuga Hina, it read. The girl closed her watery eyes, allowing a tear to trickle down her cheek.

"Hinata, Hinata!"

Shocked, she opened her still-teary eyes and looked around. No one was there. Slowly, she rested her right hand on the ground before closing her eyes again.

"Byakugan," she whispered, as the veins around her temples bulged. Her senses were suddenly heightened while she searched deep under the ground. Over vast expanses she connected with the passing trees, the healthy green grass as if swayed with the wind. Everything she set sight on rejoiced. Every rock, every leaf, even the bubbling brook that ran its course near the Hyuga mansion gurgled in delight. Millions of voices were whispered into her ear - some loud, some soft, some curious. She was one with nature.

A sudden snap of a twig and its agonizing shout nearby caused her to jolt out of her trance and she quickly tracked down the perpetrator. N-Naruto-kun? True to her vision, a blonde-haired boy in the Gensho Tournament uniform was approaching her - fast. She deactivated her Byakugan and hurriedly said her prayers to the gravestone before she hastily stood up, brushing off the dirt on her pants.

"Naruto-kun, i-is anything wrong?" she asked as said boy appeared before her, barely out of breath from running continuously up the steep hill. He seemed to have not heard her question, as he suddenly peered past her shoulder at her mother's tombstone. His eyes, so full of life only a few seconds ago, were downcast. She had only seen Naruto look this depressed once in her entire life.

It was during her first encounter with him at his parents' funeral. It had been a morose day for the villagers of Konoha, mourning the death of their youngest - and without a doubt, strongest - Hokage and his lively wife. She vaguely remembered being dressed in black clothes and afterwards clinging on to her mother's hand as they strode towards the funeral site.

They stood in their respective places among the Hyuga clan. She peeped out from behind her mother's legs, curiously looking around at the grief-stricken faces surrounding her. Hundreds of people dressed in the same colour as she wept miserably - but as her eyes ventured from one face to another, a high-pitched sob caught her attention. She looked towards the source of the abrupt noise. A young boy was sobbing inconsolably at the feet of a burly white-haired man. Hinata expected someone to usher him out of the crowd - just like she always witnessed when young Hyuga children cried. Surprisingly, no one did.

"Okaa-san, who is he?" The young girl directed her mother's gaze to the still-weeping blonde boy.

"He is the Yondaime Hokage's son, Hinata."

A rapid gust of wind brought Hinata out of her thoughts. She looked towards Naruto, who was now kneeling in front of the memorial stone. His body was tense, for reasons unknown to the girl, so she slowly approached him, careful not to make any noises lest she distract him from his thoughts.

"Hyuga Hina," he said. Hinata tilted her head inquiringly at him, although he could not see it as his back was turned towards her. "Is she your mother?"

This time he turned his head to the side to look at her. She could see the faintest traces of tears which no doubt streaked down his face earlier. Hinata nodded slowly, unsure of how he knew this connection. Since her mother's death 13 years ago, few outside the clan knew of the relationship between her and her mother.

Naruto smiled, not his usual overenthusiastic grin, but a small and sincere one. "You look just like her. Your mother, I mean. Seems you inherited her kind personality as well."

She blushed, not used to receiving compliments - and from Naruto, too. His smiling face returned to its previous, mourning state and turned back to face the stone. Hinata, positive that it was now safe to come near him, took a deep breath and stepped forward. Several more steps followed and soon she too was kneeling beside him, hands resting on her lap.

How did he know her mother? It was uncommon, if not rare, for her mother to leave the Hyuga estate for reasons other than village-wide events. Surely he could have had no way of meeting her?

"Hey, Hinata. I think it's time I told you this, but-"

A loud, booming noise sounded in the distance, startling the two. Fire crackers and a series of majestic trumpet blares could be heard. We had a festival?

"Oh shoot!" the boy exclaimed suddenly. Hinata shot him a surprised glanced. "I just remembered why I came here. We have to get back to the Hokage Monument for the Tournament."

She widened her eyes in understanding. How could she have forgotten all about that? Thank goodness she remembered to put on her uniform before.

"Y-yes, we should get going now, s-shouldn't we?" He grinned at her and stood up, silently sending his prayers to the tombstone before quickly grabbing her hand. She felt blood rush to the top of her head immediately and was on the verge of passing out when she heard Naruto's panicked yelling.

"Hinata! Hinata! Oh my gosh, what do I do? Hinata, don't faint now, Neji'll kill me! HINAT- oh, hell."

She felt her legs being lifted off from the ground by a strong pair of arms and blushed straight away after realising who the owner of the pair of arms was. She felt the wind nipping past her and Naruto carried her towards the Hokage Monument before promptly passing out.


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine!

Hyuga Neji was a man of honour. He strived to excel and maintained a steady golden streak in both his academics and training. He took pride in the fact that he was a level-headed, analytical thinker - especially under mountains of stress. He amazed both his teachers and classmates with his ability to be able to do almost everything and was quickly acknowledged by all throughout his village for being the Hyuga clan's genius, and had gained quite a few admirers, not that he was the type to get distracted by trivial things like romance.

However, one thing he did not (and never will) pride himself on was the fact that everything a certain hyperactive blonde boy did infuriated him to no ends. He was the exact opposite of Neji and all he stood for. That boy strived to not excel and maintained a steady "loser's" streak in both his academics and training. He was not a level-headed, analytical thinker - certainly not with that hot-tempered attitude of his - especially under mountains of stress. He amazed both his teacher and classmates with his ability to be able to do almost everything to cause trouble - in and out of school. He was quickly acknowledged throughout the village for being a prankster, and gained quite a few (thousand) 'haters' in all age groups. This boy, this arrogant, overbearing boy was constantly distracted and indulged in past-times as useless and cruel as hurling spitballs at innocent passers-by.

But, to Neji's dismay, he was - with no doubt - the boy his beloved cousin was completely, and undeniably in love with, as was the entire village.

For that reason, and that reason alone, he refrained from hurling knives at the boy every time he made Hinata-sama faint or even showed symptoms of doing so - which happened to be every time the blonde was nearby. Only recently Naruto had began to step up his game and to Neji's surprise, moved up from the beginner's combat classes to Neji's advanced one.

But despite his rapid improvement, nothing - nothing - could stop him from beating him up right then and there. When he saw Naruto running up towards the Hokage Monument, Neji's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Cradled in his arms was a limp Hinata, face ghostly white.

"Neji! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I swear I did nothing. All I did was hold her hand so we could run to the Hokage Monument faster but then she fainted! I swear, I'm innocent!" Naruto's face was red from shouting out the story to his livid teammate.

"If you weren't guilty, Naruto," he replied, voice icy cold, "then your palms wouldn't be sweating so much that you've left two wet holes on Hinata-sama's jacket. If you weren't guilty, Naruto, then your face wouldn't be as red as a tomato. You and I both know that you can't get tired - it's in your Gensho. If you weren't guilty Naruto, then your eyes wouldn't be darting around in different directions as we speak."

He took a menacing step towards the shaking boy. "Give me one good - very good - reason why I shouldn't kill you right here and now."

"Neji, stop it. You're being overdramatic. Naruto, position her on that bench." He turned around, startled after hearing his principal's commanding voice through the crowded streets. He bowed respectfully before opening his mouth to protest, but was quickly silenced by a pointed glare from Tsunade. She approached the unconscious girl, barely acknowledging the dutiful bows from her many students, and placed a hand on Hinata's head.

Naruto and Neji anxiously stood by as Tsunade closed her eyes. A soft white glow illuminated the Hyuga female's face underneath the Sannin's hand, immediately drawing colour to her cheeks. Her eyelids fluttered open, revealing warm, pearlescent eyes. She sat up, clutching her head at once.

"Seems like you still need a bit of rest," Tsunade fussed over the now-conscious Hinata. She stood up, brushing the dirt off her pants and continued. "Sit here for a few minutes; make sure you drink lots of water and eat something. Our guests will be arriving soon."

"U-Understood, Tsunade-sama." She glanced over at her cousin, who was currently regarding Naruto with a sceptical expression, as he was being held back at the collar by a frustrated-looking Tsunade, who refused to allow him to run off and gulp down several bowls of ramen.

"Shishou! Shishou!" A pink-haired figure was seen running towards the group, vigorously waving a hand in the air to make herself visible. "Shishou! Suna's team have arrived!"

* * *

 The arrival of a dusty, white bus attracted a humongous crowd which circled around it, pushing their hands against the glass windows in order to see the opposing competitors from Suna (hidden by dark curtains, fortunately). Tens of shinobi police littered the roads in a desperate attempt to repress the hordes of people while last minute touches to the central plaza were made before civilians congregated in it for the Opening Ceremony.

The bus drove on the relatively-clear road to Konohagakure's renowned mountain, of which it's five venerable leaders were etched into it's cliff faces - hence, spreading it's name far and wide as the Hokage Monument. The village's rocky terrain situated at the rear proved itself to be a reliable - and natural - defence system, thus being an excellent location to rebuild the Gensho Academy of the Leaf.

If a pupil in the Academy was asked to describe it's appearance, he or she would say it was big, strong, and a valuable asset to the village since it enhanced the town's already strong defences. But, if someone who recently moved in or was visiting the village for the first time was asked to describe it, he or she would say it was grand (with its white-washed walls and cobalt blue slating), enormous (after all, parents from rich clans spared no expenses when "donating") and modern (only state-of-the-art facilities for their precious children, of course!).

As the bus made its way up the roads to the top of the Monument, a great, looming building came into view. It turned around a corner into a parking lot, finally resting it's tired engine. Several students stepped out of the bus, staring at their sister Academy in awe (Well you don't see that everyday.).

Suna's sweltering and stormy climate made sure no building (or Academy, for that matter) could remotely resemble a sparkling castle. Where sandy brown walls established their Academy's exterior walls, rich and green gardens stretched far in front of Konoha's Academy building itself, ending with freshly-cut lawns. The most Suna's Academy Principal Baki could afford to build in their climate was a sturdy, yet ominous, sandy prison designed to keep students in and relaxation time out - though of course, he had the Fourth Kazekage's approval on his side. Though their village was considered to be one of the most prosperous of all Five Great Villages, due to the violent winds of their land, little could be done to showcase their wealth, hence their added emphasis on and reputation for having ruthless fighters.

All students were snapped out of their dazes and herded back to the bus to retrieve their luggage by an irritated-looking bus driver. As the students swarmed around the bus's compartments, they failed to see a brown-haired woman carrying a clothed piglet rush out from the Academy's large double doors to greet them. She hovered around them uncertainly as if waiting to be acknowledged whilst she watched them bickering back and forth ("No, that's my make-up bag, stupid.")

Her sudden cough startled the competitors and they abruptly dropped their bags once noticing her. She sighed.

"Good evening, Gensho competitors," she said, noticing them sheepishly pick up their disheveled bags, "I hope you had a pleasant journey to our wonderful village." In your...rather grimy vehicle, might I add. "My name is Shizune, and I will be in charge of your settling into Konoha's customs for the month. If you have any inquiries, please see me and feel free to talk to anyone in the village - don't worry, we're extremely friendly folk. Just a reminder, though."

Her audience, settled down from the previous ruckus, listened intently for her warning.

"The pig isn't food."

* * *

 Did she really just say- what? The pig isn't food?

Tenten heaved a heavy duffel bag over her shoulder with practised ease while following Shizune, who was guiding them through the school's front garden to the entrance. She caught up to Gaara, laughing while he pulled uncomfortably at the thick blazer covering his upper body. Temari had dressed the boys up in their best clothes before arrival, and strong-armed them into promising first-rate behaviour and spotless clothes by the time the Opening Ceremony started. It was almost comical seeing Gaara in anything other than his typical Sunese robes.

"Oi, Gaara." He turned around, sharp emerald eyes losing their fear upon registering her presence - clearly, Temari had done a number on him. He lingered in his spot, patiently waiting for her to catch up before turning around and striding towards the Academy's double doors again. "We finally made it."

Gaara nodded slowly. "We did, Tenten."

She smiled at him cheerfully, punching his shoulder in the same way she did - has been doing - for several years. He caught her look, eyes letting out a trickle of happiness before returning to their forward gaze.

"Buns."

What? "Wot?" She spun around and caught sight of Sai, who repeated his word again.

"Tenten-san, from now on I will call you Buns."

Gaara stopped walking and turned the side of his head around to observe the conversation taking place behind him. However, a sudden tug at his hand jerked him forward and prevented him from listening any further.

"Tenten, why are you-? All he did was call you-"

"Shut it, Gaara."

She tightened her grip on the boy's wrist - ignorant of his obvious pain - and dragged him further along the white concrete pathway, adjusting the bag strap on her shoulder every so often to keep it from falling off. As she furiously charged past Shizune to the entrance, she missed the slight blush forming on Gaara's pale face and ignored the strange looks (wolf-whistle and wink coming from a particularly amused Uchiha) directed towards her.

Her arrival at the doorway did not appease her spirits in the slightest way, much to the chagrin of Gaara's wrist, which was beginning to become frightfully numb. The front doors slammed open moments later, revealing a shocking green jumpsuit attached to orange leg and arm warmers. Tenten's gaze travelled past the shinobi jacket and landed on a pair of extremely bushy eyebrows and a glossy, black bob that shined marvellously. She refrained from gaping in shock, however difficult that was.

"Oh, hello there Gai-san," Shizune barely batted an eyelid at him, so Tenten straightened her expression, "Are they ready?"

"Yes, oh youthful Shizune, our youthful crew has been prepped and pampered and is now waiting in the Hall for our youthful competitors!" The sheer volume of his - ahem, youthful - voice was powerful enough to blast all eight people off their feet, but miraculously, no such thing happened and he continued to bellow at the top of his lungs. "And what a young team we have here! Oh, Shizune, I can see the buds of their youth have only just sprouted! What is this? A budding romance? What is your name, little blossom? ("Uh, Tenten.") TENTEN-"

"That's quite enough, Gai-san. We don't want to overwhelm our guests. Don't you have a few hundred more laps to complete around the village?"

"NONSENSE, Shizune-chan. I was told by the youthful Principal herself after finishing three-hundred laps to assign our lovely guests to their rooms! If I didn't know better, my blossoming Shizune, I'd say you were trying to be rid of me!"

A few sympathetic glances were thrown in Shizune's direction as she sighed heavily.

"Alright, competitors, welcome to the Gensho Academy of the Leaf. As you can see, our institution's recent reconstruction has enabled us to provide more rooms for our Gensho competitors as well as facilities for both teams as well as everyday students. To my right is the Academy's top martial arts instructor and training supervisor for the Gensho Tournament, Maito Gai. He will show you to your rooms and as you know, each one of you will be partnered up with someone from the opposite team. Remember, if you have any questions, please ask me or any other friendly residents. I will now hand you over to Gai-san."

With a cheerful smile, the elder brunette swiftly entered the building, leaving them behind with an overzealous man leaping around in a green jumpsuit.

"NOW, my youthful blossoms, let us proceed to the Gensho Hall. I'm sure the others would not appreciate being kept waiting, would they?"

* * *

 The inside of the Academy was no where near as lavish as the exterior of it, but was simpler and much more sophisticated. It's pure white walls decorated by affluent artworks and black tiles practically screamed expensive and was just as distant as the rest of the building, but was less overwhelming.

As the team of seven trailed confidently behind Gai, they turned their heads to wherever he pointed out (which was everywhere) in order to memorise the positions of every important room in the Academy. Arriving in front of a set of sleek black doors, Gai took a step back and flashed his teeth at the confused competitors before leaping in the air and switching into an airborne sidekick.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!"

A loud crash resounded through the Hall after he unpredictably slammed (er, kicked) the doors open with his "Dynamic Entry". Several ticks of a clock echoed throughout the large assembly area while a busty woman standing at the podium fisted her hands to prevent herself from running towards Konoha's Green Beast right there and then and send him flying through the walls with a sucker punch.

The flabbergasted guest team slowly edged their way to the plush seats in front of Konoha's Gensho Academy's Principal Senju Tsunade, who was taking deep, shaky breaths - evidently to control her renowned hot temper.

"As always," she started with a strained voice, "It is a pleasure to have our guests here in Konoha for the Tournament. I would like to say a brief welcome to the competitors from Sunagakure, who I assume have had a tough journey to our village, and that you will all be sorted into your rooms for the upcoming month's competition. Our martials arts instructor Maito Gai, who I presume you have all met, will assign you to them."

"OF COURSE, PRINCIPAL TSUNA-"

"Enough," she quickly cut off Gai's words, vein visibly throbbing upon her forehead. "As you can all see, Konohagakure's team are not present in the Hall. Official rules state that you will not meet them until the Opening Ceremony itself, so please be patient. Exactly ten minutes after being allocated to your rooms, please assemble in the main foyer, where you will all be taken to the festivities outside celebrating your arrival and the beginning of our countries' Alliance Tournament. Before departing, please remember to wear your best clothes for the celebration - it is a marvellous day."

With that, Principal Tsunade smiled slightly and strolled out of the Hall at the same time Gai took her place upon the podium.

"Alright, youthful children! I have successfully pinned up a sheet of paper on the noticeboard for all of you to see! I am afraid your roommates have already unpacked and settled into their respective rooms, but not to worry - I am absolutely certain that you will all find a way to personalise your section of your respective rooms. Now, GO AND DISCOVER THE ESSENCE OF YOUR YOUTH."

* * *

ROOM ASSIGNMENTS

Room 1 - Hyuga Neji, Gaara No Sabaku

Room 2 - Haruno Sakura, Sai

Room 3 - Rock Lee, Uchiha Sasuke

Room 4 - Inuzaka Kiba,Yamanaka Ino

Room 5 - Uzumaki Naruto, Temari No Sabaku

Room 6 - Kankurou No Sabaku, Nara Shikamaru

Room 7 - Hyuga Hinata, Tenten

"Well, shit."

"What's wrong, Sasuke?"

"They didn't put me with a girl."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "Hey, at least they didn't pair you up with the Uzumaki Naruto. I've heard he's so stupid that he had to take his Academy entrance test 3 times before he was accepted. Good luck with him, 'Mari."

"Yeah, yeah. Well whoever's with Uchiha'll probably have a hard time with him." Temari laughed. "I'm just glad it's not a girl - honestly, the day he settles down with a nice, headstrong girl - little Sasuke's "one true love" - will be the day I let my hair down from these four hairties."

She waved a hand around her four-pig-tailed head to emphasise her words.

"Oh yeah?" interjected a smug-looking Sasuke, "let's make a bet on it. If I find this so called "one true love" by the end of the year, then you'll let your hair down and give me all your lunch privileges for the rest of your Academy life."

Temari scoffed. No one ever saw her with her hair down and live to tell the tale. And lunch privileges. "And if you lose? Let's say you think you found "the one", but she turns out to be the last person you ever want to be with and by that time the year's up."

Sasuke seemed to think about it before letting out a smirk. "I'll be your personal slave for 6 months. You know me - Uchihas never serve anyone. Besides, how hard can it be to fall in love? All I have to do is woo one of those fangirls and I'm set for life."

Tenten chuckled loudly. "If only it was that easy, Sasuke. Love isn't something as simple as that, is it Gaara?"

Said boy turned around to face Tenten, surprise evident on his face. "I guess."

"Anyway," Temari exclaimed, "it's about time we head over to our dorms. We only have ten to fifteen minutes to unpack so let's go, go, GO!"


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who are genuinely curious about this story (thank you so much, if you are!), it is also posted on my fanfiction account 'misspandalily'. Most updates will come from there first, before they make their way over here.

"What the hell happened in here?"

A loud crash resonated throughout Ino's room as Kankurou cautiously stepped in behind Sasuke, gaping openly at the sight before him. An assortment of dresses, shirts, pants and skirts were heaped up into what resembled colourful, bright and sparkly mountains of clothing all over the room, heavily restricting any means of movement around it. To top it all off, tubes of cream, lipstick and (almost) every other cosmetic item littered the tiny dressing table in the corner of the chamber, giving off an overwhelmingly pungent smell of overused hairspray and - Temari's 'Desert Rose' perfume?

"Kankurou? Is that you? We're in the bathroom! Just hang on a sec, we'll be right there!" The muffled sounds of his sister's voice were barely audible through the thick piles of clothing and he wandered what on earth caused such a mess in the room when he heard another crash coming from the bathroom.

"Sheesh, Tenten! That's the third time you destroyed my hair curler this week! I don't even know why you keep doing it!"

Tenten childishly blew a raspberry at Ino. "Can't help it - I don't 'do' curly hair, get that through your empty head already."

Seething, Ino waved around a deformed device in front of Tenten's face. "Then why the hell do you always bend my hair curlers into candy canes every time I approach you with one? I know we've never been the best of friends, but at least refrain from destroying the very things that I am trying to help you with! You're just so mean, and selfish, and irrational - what have I ever done to you?"

Sensing the sudden hostility in the air, Kankurou rushed to the bathroom with Sasuke right on his tail. It was, had been, pristine white before their teammates littered it to the brim with more accessories. The quarreling girls stood at the center, misshapen hair-curler lying neglected on a dressing table.

"Mean, selfish, and irrational?" Tenten smirked, "Says the girl who can barely even walk down a hallway without yelling at her little posse of wannabes. When was the last time you were nice to someone without acting for your own interests? Ever heard the word genuine? And plus, I didn't ask for your help."

Ino scoffed. "Whatever, you say, Miss Inferiority Complex. I'm generously lending my equipment to help you look good, for once, and for the good of the team. At least I have the decency to shut up and deal with it. Get the hell over yourself!"

"Girls," Temari interjected as Kankurou let out a sigh of relief, "If we were back at home, I wouldn't care who or what you two have your pathetic little spats over. Frankly, no one does anymore. But we are in Konoha. We're representing our country, whether we're outside, smiling to the crowds, or indoors, preparing for who-knows-what they're throwing at us later on." The eldest girl glared down at her female teammates, scowling as they looked down apologetically. This was typical of them, starting a commotion in the hallways, and acting as if they really were sorry. They never were.

Sasuke coughed loudly to bring an end to the deathly silence. They only had an hour left to prepare, and although he and Kankurou were most definitely done, Tenten and Ino were far from ready. Fortunately, Temari seemed to realise this as well, and ordered the two girls to "put on your bloody dresses and behave, or you'll be on the first bus back to Suna before I can say 'Gensho'."

He didn't miss the way the blonde and brunette gave each other dirty looks when Temari's back was turned, or the way the words "whore" and "outcast" were exchanged between them. Frankly, he didn't care. They had a game to win, and the more fire they had, the better.

* * *

 "Ano, Shikamaru-kun, have you s-seen Naruto-kun recently?"

Said boy's head lazily fell backwards to look up at his new companion.

"Oh, Hinata. He-" A sudden thought popped into his head mid-sentence. Naruto was no doubt fooling around with that green idiot and aggravating Sakura to no end. Sakura herself wasn't a bad person in Shikamaru's eyes. She just had a bad temper. And monstrous strength. Nothing to be afraid of, right?

Troublesome. He had known for a long time that Hinata loved the Uzumaki idiot and that the one thing - person - who stopped Naruto from returning her feelings was undeniably Haruno Sakura. Hinata knew that for sure, after all, Naruto wasn't exactly subtle about his supposed 'love' for the pink-haired Gensho.

"-he's probably with Sakura." He regretted saying that immediately after a hurt look adorned the Hyuga heiress's features. He should have known it was painful for her to hear that. "Oh, gee. Look, I'm sorry-"

"It's alright, Shikamaru-kun." She smiled brightly at him, although he could tell it was the professional smile she plastered on her face out of habit from years of decorum lessons. "You are not the one at fault."

An awkward silence followed.

"You look nice tonight, Hinata." She looked surprised that the notoriously lazy Nara boy complimented her but quickly recovered with a genuine smile directed towards him. Shikamaru hoped she wouldn't automatically misunderstand his compliment like so many other girls did when Naruto praised them. He just wanted to cheer her up, and was panic-stricken for a moment. He didn't want any relationship at a time like this. He was relieved, however, at her distant smile.

"T-thank you, you dashing tonight as well, Shikamaru-kun. I'd best be off now, Niisan will be waiting for me. Good luck in the Tournament, it is an honour to be in the same team as you."

With a deep bow, to which he responded with a respectful nod and smile, she walked off, exquisite lavender kimono swaying in the light breeze.

"Right, the Tournament," he mumbled to himself, "I should probably meet up with the others in the Hokage's office to meet the Suna people."

He sighed. Troublesome.

* * *

 An inky black blanket covered every inch of Konoha's horizon line, stars embedded and twinkling like diamonds in the night sky. Underneath, the merry festivities celebrating the return of the Gensho Aliance Tournament have begun. People - both old and young, rich and poor - from different lands flocked into the village in the hopes of securing a lodging in one of Konoha's many hotels in order to watch over the course of the Tournament; it was a source of entertainment for every day citizens and a mingling of daimyos and potential clients for both shinobi and Gensho competitors.

Children clustered around toy and lolly stores in the same manner ants would to a sticky drop of honey, eager to purchase novelty items to consume or play with. Young couples, still experiencing the earlier stages of a relationship, shyly held hands as they strolled down the streets, taking in the lavish decorations hung all over the village. In contrast, elderly couples ambled around the festivities either in an aggravated or joyful manner as they pushed through the throngs of people.

The sky was soon brimming with multicoloured fireworks, signifying the end of the Ceremony's festivities. Almost immediately, all civilians were piling into the nearby training dome to grab a seat around the wide arena inside. Their eyes were wide with anticipation, undoubtedly to catch sight of Sunagakure's competitors, whom they had been unable to see at their arrival. People bustled to and fro, some to sell their products amongst the newly-formed crowd and others to find their family members.

* * *

 Meanwhile in the Hokage Building, fourteen teenagers stood facing each other - seven on each side - in tense silence, as if assessing each other's visible abilities.

"Ugly." All of Team Konoha glanced abruptly at the speaker, shocked at his sudden statement. Sai looked towards his teammates, who were either holding back sniggers to maintain peace or sending him looks of utter horror. "Isn't she?"

When met with blank looks, he continued. "Her forehead is so wide that I could draw hundreds of my lions on it and still have plenty of space available. What's your name, Ugly?"

His empty eyes turned towards the pink-haired Gensho of his opposing team, whose green eyes widened upon being targeted, as he awaited his answer. He saw a pair of cold white eyes glaring at him disapprovingly and two strangely-dressed men shaking with rage beside Ugly. His eyes rested upon the girl again and he noticed she was also quivering - angrily? - with more fury than the two green and orange boys put together. Sasuke was disguising his laughter as coughing ("Burn."), so that clearly meant that he was promoting social harmony magnificently.

"Haruno Sakura." Then, as quickly as it appeared, all traces of anger were gone and replaced by a sickly sweet smile. His head cocked to the side, intrigued. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't insult me like that, thank you."

He felt confused, although the confusion was not shown on his face. "Insult you? Didn't I tell you the truth?"

A vein visibly throbbed at her temple as Sakura took several deep breaths to reign in her temper. Sai observed her reactions with amusement. He barely registered two brightly coloured figures hurtling towards him at the speed of light before he drew out his sword, only to find the perpetrators flying back in a blur and smashing into the opposite wall. Sai looked around, startled. His teammates were no longer in their previous positions. Instead, they surrounded him protectively - like a herd, he thought - in their primary battle stances and surrounded by a circular trail of sand - Gaara's sand. This went against the code they had agreed on earlier - to keep their abilities low key until the ceremony - but Sai supposed that it was completely obvious what his ability was, given that his gourd was practically brimming with sand.

He looked forwards and saw Temari standing directly in front of him with her giant fan positioned carefully in front of her. Even without seeing the ferocious snarl on his leader's face, he could tell that she was poised to strike judging by the tenseness of her shoulder blades.

"Who's the Captain?" she asked, her voice laced with venom. A frightening silence ensued. Both teams were prepared to fight - save for the pineapple-headed leaning against the other wall. A sudden movement caused the opposite team to step aside to make way for the white-eyed boy Sai spotted earlier.

"I am," he replied levelly.

"Then I assume you know how high the stakes will be if your...teammates attack one of my own?"

"And I assume you know the risk of allowing your brethren to ruthlessly insult a highly-respected member of my team?"

"Sai was not raised to take others' feelings into account. He is still learning. Can you blame him for that?"

"No, but I blame his guardian for raising such an abhorring, socially inept human being."

Team Suna stiffened at the boy's words. No one, no one, insulted Sai's guardian. No one. Temari's eyes were darkened with hate. She smirked sinisterly.

''Perhaps you're the one who is socially inept, Hyuga Neji." He regarded Temari suspiciously, no doubt wondering what led her to that conclusion. Sai observed Tenten looking at the Hyuga coolly, and in the same manner that Gaara was.

"That's quite enough." A booming female voice broke them out of their tense state and all competitors scrambled back to their original positions. The busty woman - Senju Tsunade - strode past the younger Gensho and sat down in her desk, head resting on two clasped hands. She gave her home team a quick, disappointed look, knowing what had happened prior to her interruption.

"I hope you have all enjoyed your time down in the village plaza with our Opening Ceremony festivities. I would like to, again, welcome our visitor team from Sunagakure to our beautiful village. I presume your stay so far has been hospitable?"

The question was directed towards Temari, who hesitated before smiling gently. "Yes, Principal Tsunade, it has been very pleasant so far."

Seemingly pleased, the elder lady continued, "Your roommates will be spending an enormous amount of time with you during your stay. However, I have assigned tour guides to all of you for the first few days and they will also be your training partners as well - just to mix up the abilities a bit. Information about the final segment of the Tournament shall be revealed to you all in due time, but just remember it will be situated in the Forest of Death."

Collective gasps around the Team Konoha side of the room were silenced by the Principal.

"You all have a crowd waiting for you downstairs. Follow me."

* * *

Tsunade watched all competitors walk calmly into the arena, greeting the crowd with radiant smiles as they did so. They were lead by the emcee to stand in a large circle, where they proceeded to blow kisses in every direction and wave gracefully. Sunagakure's females were clad in shimmering black dresses flowing around their toned legs wherever they went and the team's males were comfortably suited in tuxedos and humourously posing for the crowd and media crews to snap several - hundred - photos of them.

Her eyes then fell onto her own team. They stood like stiff wooden boards nailed to the ground, with the exception of Naruto and Lee, who looked like they were growing more and more energetic with every snapshot aimed at them. Tsunade frowned. Konohagakure's team were practically family to civilians of the village and yet the visiting team were far more open.

The time for Gensho ability sneak previews began with the blaring of fanfare and the crowd fell silent. The ever-silent Hyuga Neji was the first of all Tournament members to display his abilities and the pressure was on him to make the initial impression for his team. He did not disappoint, as hundreds of flying kunai with explosive tags attached flew from all directions and blew up when colliding into what seemed like an invisible barrier around him. The audience ooh'ed and ah'ed upon seeing this and he bowed stiffly before walking out of the arena.

The second was Nara Shikamaru, who was famous not only for his mental prowess inherited by all his clansmen, but his notorious habit of being completely and utterly lazy. This suited his Gensho ability perfectly, Tsunade thought, considering the fact that the boy was almost always hidden in the shadows. Gasps and screams resounded through the entire arena as Shikamaru physically melted into the shadows surrounding him and materialised on the other side of the stadium. He silently walked off the stage with his posture slumped unhealthily. Tsunade rolled her eyes. She'd have to fix up that boy's posture herself if he didn't want to live the rest of his life with a hunched back.

Haruno Sakura was her pride and joy - the girl who excelled in her healing classes and the one Tsunade herself gave private lessons to after seeing her immense potential as a healer. As her protégé, Sakura became one of the most well-known Gensho in the village for her profound intelligence and brute strength. The Sannin smiled proudly when Sakura jumped high into the air and landed with her fist facing downwards, causing the earth to literally shatter beneath her touch. The crowd gaped at her with wide eyes as the dust settled down, revealing a happily smiling Haruno girl who waved happily and skipped out of the field.

Tsume's only son, she registered, was Inuzuka Kiba and if she wasn't mistaken, their clan specialised in dog jutsus - although she had no idea what Gensho ability he inherited from that line. A majestic white dog - Akamaru, as he called out during one of her classes one day - followed him, tail wagging energetically. Kiba gave a loud whistle and stood up straight, eyes sparkling mischievously. The viewers looked around, expecting to see an explosion of some sort and they expected right, however it was more of an explosion of animals; dogs and cats came barking and meowing through the large double doors, rapidly followed by the nearby horses. Birds from every corner of the village flocked in through the large hole at the top of the arena, squawking as they glided in. Spectators looked on in awe at the rarer, endangered creatures entering and clapped enthusiastically at his display. Grinning from ear to ear, Kiba bowed several times and marched out with the assortment of animals, who were following his every movement.

Hyuga Hinata's performance was similar yet different to that of her Inuzaka teammate's one, only hers differed in the way that she seemed to influence the land around her to shift back from its chaotic mess to its initial state with a single touch and the activation of her Byakugan - a centuries-old dojutsu trait seemingly adjusted to suit the Gensho spirit's requirements. Tsunade unconsciously compared Hinata's exhibition to her cousin's. Whilst she needed her Byakugan to activate to unleash her ability, Neji appeared to relinquish that activation power and demonstrated his ability without the trait. Perhaps, she thought, he is far greater with the dojutsu..

Her thoughts were soon thrown into the back of her mind as a familiar, hyperactive boy she knew and loved like a son leapt into the stadium and stood with his hands on his sides while grinning idiotically at the ecstatic crowd. They knew him too well for being the local prankster for a majority of his life and the adopted son of the Legendary Toad Sannin Jiraiya. Within a second, hundreds of orange Narutos littered the stadium, screaming loudly and pushing around for more space. Tsunade facepalmed, almost embarrassed to witness the sight. Suddenly, they all vanished into thin air, and in the centre of the arena was a cross-legged Naruto meditating in an eerily still manner. The audience sat still with him and leaned forward ever-so-slowly whilst craning their necks around in order to not miss what the boy was about to execute. Naruto's eyes opened and Tsunade widened her eyes in surprise. Jiraiya, what did you-? How is he able to perform both shinobi techniques and maintain his Gensho abilities?

She missed Naruto's final trick, to which the onlookers applauded fervently at. Looking up, she saw him jumping up and down with his arms in the air and merrily running around in circles ("I'm gonna be the Hokage, 'ttebayo!"). As he finally exited the grounds, Tsunade shook her head and laughed to herself. That boy definitely inherited his teacher's personality.

The female Sannin nearly spat out the sake inside her mouth when the last Konoha competitor stepped in from the double doors. Green jumpsuit, check. Orange arm and leg warmers, check. Hideous bob, check. Thick eyebrows, check. Complete disregard and ignorance of my uniform rule, check. Now that I think about it. Naruto didn't wear the uniform either... She slammed her fist on the armrest. I'll deal with them later. She stole another horrified glance at the bushy-browed boy, an exact replica of Maito Gai himself and wondered what on earth drove him to adopt such a costume. She identified the boy as Rock Lee, who was, according to the files she was given on him, extremely adept in the martial arts department. Well, it's not wrong - the boy's movements are lightning fast and he hasn't missed a single target.She massaged her temples to soothe her throbbing headache. Those last two boys, in her opinion, were far too much to handle.

It was time for the long-awaited Sunagakure participants to showcase their abilities. A sandy-haired girl with her hair pulled up into four spiked ponytails appeared to float into the centre of the field, drawing out a large metal fan adorned with three purple moons on its surface. She then continued to wave the large fan around as though minimal effort was required to perform such a feat and gave it a final sweep, resulting in a furious windy storm from which everyone watching immediately crouched down in their seats to avoid. Tsunade was surprised, to say the least, when immense amounts of sand, black and white dragons (drawings, they looked like) and a strange purple substance spiralled into the swirling tornado.

As it died down, Tsunade barely caught sight of the entire seven members of Team Suna standing in a group in the centre when a slender brunette girl elegantly leapt into the air and hide the team from view in a large metal half-sphere. Unexpectedly, the hemisphere began to emit sparks of blue electricity as if it were charging up itself. The static lines distorted and meandered uncontrollably up into the very top of the dome before releasing a single thick, white, tinted blue bolt of lightning straight into the air where the clouds split apart while forming a wonky circle around the lightning bolt. Onlookers gazed at the phenomenon in amazement, during which the metal dome disappeared and revealed the visitor team smiling and waving while a thin girl with her blonde hair tied up into a high pony tail stepped forward with her hands forming a diamond-shaped seal. Following that movement, a smooth, female voice resounded through everybody's ears. Heads turned from side to side desperately to identify the speaker, but it was difficult pinpoint as no one's mouth was forming her exact words.

'-nd gentlemen, boys and girls, we, as Sunagakure's Team in the Gensho Alliance Tournament, would like to thank you for your village's generous hospitality and-'

As the mysterious girl continued her speech, honey-brown eyes flickered down to observe the visitor team. So it's the front girl who's "talking" to the audience...and effortlessly as well. She mentally assessed each of the six competitors positioned behind the telepathic girl, who were barely keeping their smiles to themselves as they wholeheartedly bowed and waved to the applauding civilians. Such flawless teamwork...

"Shizune." Tsunade gave said woman a quick nod. A look of understanding appeared on Shizune's face and she shuffled towards the podium to begin her congratulatory speech.

Principal Tsunade leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.

Let the games begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer; I don't own Naruto


	8. Chapter 7

The ruby red walls of the hallway was by far the most colourful section of the Gensho Academy of the Leaf, with a dark red carpet floor and plain white ceiling with Venetian gold chandeliers carefully attached to it, dazzlingly illuminating the corridor. Hammered into the two parallel walls were pure white doors, their serial numbers engraved into them with large, golden figures, each of which lead to large rooms decorated with single-coloured themes.

Neji sat up from his lying position on his rosy-coloured bed and massaged his temples, sleep having conquered the uneasy thoughts regarding his competitors only a few hours ago. He lowered his hands and finally allowed himself to survey the room he'd be sharing for the next month. Every inch of the dormitory practically screamed red; from the fiery tones of his walls to the antique rosewood desks sitting dejectedly in the corner. It was, therefore, to Neji's relief that the ceiling and carpet floor were white, lest he feel as if he was living in a furnace.

Neji never liked red. It was fiery, warm and courageous, but at the same time it emitted an aura of defiance, strain and aggressiveness - qualities he never liked to encounter in a person. He was raised in an environment where everything was controlled from the bottom to the top, and from the eldest of beings to the earliest stages of a fetus - order and the unchanging laws of fate were what led him to become the most skilled Gensho of his age group in Konoha. White was his colour. Pure, constant and simple. It was the shade he always saw when he cleared his mind out before training, the shade he was surrounded by in the huge, traditional Hyuga compound. White was hygienic, elite and sophisticated - he never felt the ridiculous need to personalise his room like so many others did when perfecting his techniques were much more practical to him.

He slid out of his bed and came face to face with his roommate - a tall red-headed boy sitting on a bed a few metres away from his, glaring at Neji with the intensity that rivaled his own. The boy, already dressed to the toe in his Tournament uniform, slipped on his gloves and turned his emerald green eyes away from Neji's, as though he had lost all interest in him. His heavily-lined eyes, outrageously unnecessary in Neji's opinion, were zooming around the room. There was something eerily familiar about the boy that Neji couldn't quite pinpoint.

"Where's the bathroom?" was the husky-toned question the boy asked. Neji directed his eyes towards the door on the other side of the room, seeing that speaking was not required for him to answer the question. The boy gave Neji and courteous nod as he walked away, light flecks of sand trailing after him. Sand. He recalled Suna's dramatic display during the Opening Ceremony last night, and remembered the metal-wielding brunette coolly scrutinising him under a steely gaze.

He shivered, and decided that there was no time to waste pondering over the other team's antics, especially not on the very first day of the Tournament. He swiftly dressed himself in his uniform, catching sight of a small piece of paper sticking out from underneath the door and picked it up curiously. According to it, he was to "meet up with his assigned competitor and give them an enjoyable tour of Konohagakure for the day." Neji scoffed and scrolled his finger downwards to where his name was written beside another's - Tenten, it said. To please someone with a tour of the village he knew so well instead of honing his skills was a preposterous idea to Neji. After all, elite Gensho such as the ones on the other team should learn how to adapt to different environments without the help of other people, shouldn't they?

He was tempted to defy the notice's instructions and resume his training immediately, but changed his mind upon realising he was the leader and role model of Team Konoha, and would bring great shame to his village if he did not participate as required of him. Letting out a resigned sigh, Neji strode out of his dormitory, shut the door behind him lightly and made his way to Hinata's room, where he knew her roommate Tenten resided.

* * *

Tenten was in a good mood after waking up to the sunshine. It reminded her of home, where the sun beamed down on them relentlessly every day.

She slinked out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind her so as not to awaken her roommate, and swiveled around, expecting to see the vibrant red walls of the hallway but instead found herself standing face to face with a slender girl dressed in the Tournament uniform - Suna's Tournament uniform. Good mood, goodbye. She looked calm and composed, as expected of the heiress of one of the most influential families in Sunagakure, and shone brightly from her position in front of one of the large windows that allowed soft rays of sunlight to filter through them and onto the soft carpet floor.

Blonde and beautiful were two of the most common words used to describe Yamanaka Ino, due to her baby blue almond-shaped eyes and toned, hourglass figure. Ino was the social butterfly of the Gensho Academy of the Sand, and placed second only to Temari No Sabaku herself, but who could beat her, the Kazekage's only daughter? It took Tenten years to figure out Ino's weaknesses, which were, despite her superior telepathic skills, the academics and physical sparring, the latter of which Tenten could easily beat the younger Gensho in. So Tenten held on to her status as one of the elite two females who could take on Yamanaka Ino in a fight.

Envy, she figured, was the root cause of her insecurity and hatred towards Ino. They were from two completely different worlds - Ino, the perfect blonde heiress, loved and supported by all; Tenten, the filthy orphan, hated by all, the outcast. She leaned against the wall, recalling a repressed memory, and a kind-hearted man.

Inky black sky was all she saw, no stars, nothing. It wasn't as if she could see anything anyway. The world was obscure, bleak - just like her future in this sand-infested hell hole.

She leaned back against the wall, barely feeling its grainy texture as she hurriedly unwrapped a freshly-baked loaf of bread hidden beneath her dirty, thin black cardigan and savoured its warmth before taking a medium-sized bite into it. She chewed slowly, trying not to devour the entire loaf that instance. It would be days, perhaps weeks before she could find or steal food like this again.

She parted with the loaf unwillingly. It took every ounce of self control she and her growling stomach could muster to wrap the bread in a relatively clean piece of cloth she stoke from a rich-looking last just yesterday to preserve her meal for the next few days. She stuffed the package into a leather bag she recently salvaged from an aristocrat's rubbish bin and wrapped her arms around her trembling body, trying in vain to get herself to sleep.

It didn't matter anyway. She would pass out from hunger, just like she did every other night. Sure enough, her eyelids began to droop, allowing her to slowly shrink into a cloud of darkness.

She heard voices, the violent whistling of Suna winds, footsteps. They came nearer to her, and she jolted awake.

A seemingly young man, judging by his physique underneath heavy brown robes, stood above her. His eyes, dark and heavily ringed, looked down on her as his cloak betrayed a few auburn hairs above his forehead. He held out a hand to her, as if motioning for her to stand up.

She cautiously took it, but firmly held on once realising she had nothing to lose. His eyes crinkled in mild delight and pulled her upwards. He lowered his scarf and revealed a stern-looking face, wisened far beyond his years.

"I am the Fourth Kazekage."

Tenten shook herself out of her reverie and turned her eyes upwards to glare at Ino, but was interrupted instead.

"I'm sorry," Ino looked up at her with cold blue eyes. No, she wasn't. "For the other night. I was being unreasonable."

"Look, I know, and everyone knows that you're not sorry. So quit trying to-"

"I know, Tenten, that I am trying to bury this bloody hatchet and call a bloody truce before the Final Battle starts. For the sake of the team, I'm letting go of whatever animosity I have towards you so that nothing can get in the way of our victory. Like it or not, I do possess a brain."

A fair argument. One that Tenten completely looked over. She let out a deep breath.

"Okay. Sure," they levelled their gazes with each other, "I'm sorry for being a major bitch last night, and I was probably thinking about myself more than I was about the team. Truce."

They extended their hands, meeting with a stiff handshake. If there was anything beneficial about whatever relationship Tenten and Ino had, it was the fact that they could always be honest with each other. Then again, no one could lie to a trained telepath. Except, probably another trained telepath, Tenten mused to herself.

Ino smirked, confirming that she'd heard Tenten's thoughts, and narrowed her eyes at the door behind her. Tenten turned around and pulled a piece of paper off the door.

_'Market place, nine o'clock. -Hyuga Neji'_

* * *

 

 Tenten was late for the first time in her life, and it was for a meeting with the same boy who argued with Temari last night.

Hyuga Neji. Famed prodigy of the Hyuga Clan. Konoha Academy's poster boy. The amount of marketing Konoha did for him was shameless, and honestly, she'd been expecting more of a justification of his abilities on their first meeting than a petulant boy who took too much pride in his reputation. That was why, after deciding to delay their meeting time by an hour...or three, Tenten closed the distance between them slowly, pretending to take delight in the festivities surrounding her. She knew that he knew that she was there, judging by the way his eyes squinted at her suspiciously as she studied him from her peripheral vision. He'd made no move to join her when she was buying kebab skewers, nor when she pleasantly held a conversation with the local shopkeepers for over half an hour - about weapons. Then again, Tenten had had a grand old time enjoying herself and the Hyuga's frustration, and by the time she reached her destination, she was already five hours later than planned and carrying bags of festival goodies.

He was still standing in the exact place as he was two hours ago, for some strange reason, and fuming at her nonchalance. "Oh! You must be Hyuga Neji prodigy-san! Pleased to meet you!" She held out a hand, which he shook gingerly, furiously, silently. "Am I late?" She added, just to annoy him more.

That seemed to do the trick, and he immediately stormed away, muttering profanities under his breath. She decided not to push her luck and trailed behind him.

"Where are we going, Hyuga Neji prodigy-san?" He glared at Tenten wordlessly while a thought clicked in her mind. He wasn't screaming at her because he was trying to uphold the Hyuga's reputation. That was fine with Tenten, in fact, it was a win-lose situation for her, so she smirked contentedly. "I'm afraid I'm quite unfamiliar with your city."

"Indeed," he replied in a cold voice, "and quite unfamiliar with common etiquette as well. I suggest you enter the building on your right, up to the second level, and enrol for the etiquette classes they hold there every Tuesday afternoon."

"Love to," she grinned, "But you see, I have other things to focus on, like this upcoming Tournament, for example."

"I'm sure you do," he sneered at her assortment of bags, "I'd hate to get in the way of your...training."

"That's very kind of you, Hyuga Neji prodigy-san," she tipped her top hat at him mockingly as he took in deep breaths and proceeded with the tour. "Behind you is the Hokage Monument, envisioned by the Shodai Hokage - Senju Hashirama - to be a symbol that our Hokages always watch over the village. Situated on top is Konoha Archive Library and the safe house where we evacuate to in times of danger. Of course, behind that is the Gensho Academy."

"Of course."

Neji pointed to a large red building directly underneath the four engravings of Konoha's Hokages.

"Underneath is the Hokage Building, in red."

"Yes, I see that."

"In front of you is the main plaza, branching out into many other streets, where you may shop."

"Wow, really?" She lifted up the bags in her arms in a sarcastically, which he ignored.

He lead her around the village, pointing out significant buildings and landmarks in short, clipped tones. They passed Konoha's Shinobi Academy halfway through the tour ("A place where the bravest of children learn to hone their chakra control and the fundamentals of all ninja techniques"),and ended at the public garden.

"I'm allergic to pollen." She looked around, indicating the masses of flowers surrounding her and Neji and scrunched up her nose uncomfortably. They were ready to bloom, she presumed, as all the buds looked like they were about to burst into a blanket of hues. One grain of pollen on me, rose, and you'll never see the end of it.

He blinked at her, perplexed and for the first time since they'd started, not angry. "I'd assumed that Suna didn't have flowers to be allergic to."

She shook her head and laughed at his ignorance. "That's true, Suna is sadly lacking in the flowers that you know of." Tenten walked away from the garden gingerly, signalling Neji to follow her with a wave of an arm. He trailed after her, keeping his distance suspiciously. "Relax, I don't bite. Fine. Keep standing there, whatever. Suna does have flowers, only more...live. And hazardous."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "For instance?"

"Mooncatchers."

"Oh?"

"They're these white flowers that bloom every midnight, and emit this really nice glow to lure in desert wanderers. When someone lands in their trap..." Tenten snuck a glance at Neji from the corner of her eye slyly, taking in his curious expression. "They eat them alive. I've heard," she handed a shopping bag to Neji dismissively, which he smacked away grumpily. "that their favourite part of the body is the eyes. Particularly the special ones."

Neji seemed to catch on to her insinuation. "Then I'll be sure never to visit your country, lest my superior abilities overwhelm it's savagery." Tenten snarled.

"You're a dickhead."

"Then you shouldn't have pushed your luck. Good luck navigating yourself back to the Academy." He walked off in frustration, leaving her standing beside the garden's marble-white entrance with a smirk adorning her features. Tenten soon realised the predicament she was in, however, and contemplated her next course of actions. On one hand, she could easily suck up her pride and apologise to the Hyuga boy for offending him. On the other hand, this would be the last day of relaxation before the training week begun, so she could easily spend some time enjoying some leisure time around the city. Deciding on the latter, Tenten strode away from the gardens and into a dark alleyway, just for the fun of it.

Suna's alleyways were often littered with trash in every shape and form, and she'd moved on from her fear of the dark a long time ago. Konoha, a place of rainbows and smiling pedestrians, wouldn't even hold a candle against the brutality of a sand-worn nation filled to the brim with scoundrels. There was a strange crate lying underneath a dimmed, flickering lamp, as though someone had intentionally left it there for a (unlikely) passer-by to pick up. It looked new and clean, cleaner than the rest of the grimy alley, so she opened it up regardless of its true purpose. Sasuke had always said that her curiousity would be her downfall.

To her surprise, there was another box inside of it, buried underneath piles of rags. It was simple, made of white stone, with a symbol engraved into it - the Hyuga symbol, Tenten noted with widened eyes. She lifted the lid carefully before setting it back down onto the crate and pulled out a dark cape. She wanted to scream, but held it in.

Tenten knew that symbol, the blood red ghosts that dotted the landscapes of her dreams. The ominous clouds that fluttered around menacingly against the screams of her loved ones. Her mother, father. That bloody, red mark - the legend that no one else believed because they were too blind. The Akatsuki.

But then, Tenten heard herself think through the screams echoing in her mind, why the Hyugas?


	9. Chapter 8

Sasuke ruffled a hand through his hair, flicking droplets of water about as he made his way out of the bathroom. Whistling, he slipped on a black tank top and a pair of black shorts before throwing his towel aside onto a nearby bed. It landed with a soft thump on contact with the dark blankets and shook uncontrollably, slowly swelling in size until it resembled a miniature hill. Sasuke stood before it, confused and shocked. That was, confused until a lanky green figure emerged from the mound, immediately deflating it. He was, however, still shocked.

The green creature towered above Sasuke whilst standing atop the bed. Its hair was unruly and pointed in several directions even as fast hands hurried to straighten the hair out. It soon grew tired of the fruitless efforts and leapt off the bed into the bathroom, slamming the door loudly behind it.

Sasuke could hear the squeaking of the shower taps and the subsequent running of water flowing down from the taps and decided it best if he left the creature, his roommate, alone to do its grooming. But as soon as his hand grabbed on to the main doorknob, it appeared from the bathroom, hair now gelled down into a humongous bob. Sasuke examined his roommate's face more closely and nearly did a double-take.

Aside from the shiny bob, the jumpsuit he had mistaken earlier on as skin was shockingly green. Not the emerald green he saw on the earrings of so many girls he had taken out, the jade green colour of the necklace his father lovingly gifted his mother on their 20th anniversary, nor did it resemble the khaki green shades of his Suna training uniform that he so hated long ago. No, it was the dull, forest green that captured everyone's attention due to its sheer lack of colouring style.

The jumpsuit was covered at the forearms and lower legs by orange leg and arm warmers and at the boy's waist were white bandages wrapped tightly around it. To further shock Sasuke even more, the roommate's eyes were perfectly round. Not wide, or doe-eyed, just round. And prominent lower eyelashes to top it all off.

"Hello there! You must be Uchiha Sasuke-san! My name is Rock Lee! May our days together be filled with bliss and the budding bromance of youth!"

Lee fashioned a thumbs-up pose with his other hand on his hip and grinned at Sasuke, revealing a set of sparkling teeth - so sparkly, in fact, that Sasuke had to turn away in order not to blind himself. It strangely reminded him of the man who led them into the Gensho Hall upon their arrival at the Academy, the dazzling teeth, abhorring green choice of clothing and hairstyle. Whether they were related or not, Sasuke really, really, really didn't want to know.

"Might I remind you, Sasuke-san, the beautiful, blossoming, youthful Sakura-chan is someone very important to me and as she is your guide, please do not blemish her or her reputation."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. There was no way someone like Lee could be able to have a girlfriend, or like a girl for that matter. He was just too...eccentric. But, on the other hand, beautiful, blossoming and youthful sounded like a girl worthy of his attention...

"Hey, you. Who's this Sakura person?" Sasuke asked as he turned around to face Lee, but the boy was already gone. He shrugged, opting to leave for breakfast, when someone knocked on his door. He strode across the room to answer it. A pink-haired girl, the one Sai insulted yesterday, was standing on the other side aimlessly. He leaned on the doorframe, making sure to flex his muscles. "Good morning," he drawled out.

Sakura blushed immediately, not missing his flexing. "Are you Sasuke Uchiha?"

"That's my name," he leaned closer, until his mouth was directly next to her ear, "but you can call me many other names." She stepped back, blushing an even deeper colour.

"I'm Sakura - your tour guide for the day." Her green eyes avoided his gaze, so he waved her into the room while taking off his shirt. She tried not to ogle his - very nicely sculpted - back. "What? What are yo-"

Sasuke laughed before pulling a jumper over his head. "Relax, princess, I'm just changing. Unless..."

"No, thank you."

* * *

 After Sakura stormed out of his room, he decided to walk along the corridors of the Gensho Academy of the Leaf and mentally plot out the institute's many classrooms and facilities into a mind-map. He returned the dreamy looks directed at him with an arrogant smirk, or a deceptive sweet smile. They'd swooned, of course. His charm seemed to work everywhere he went.

He reached an empty classroom at the end of the hallway, finding it odd that every other classroom was clearly full of students except for this one. He tried to turn the knob. It didn't budge. Perhaps there was suspicious activity happening in this very room, unnoticed or undetected by the other students. He peered in through the windows and saw nothing out-of-the-ordinary. It looked exactly like the other classrooms, only dustier.

Relunctantly, Sasuke shook it off as nothing special. So what, the school has one locked up classroom. There was probably an accident or something. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't rid himself of the nagging feeling wriggling in the back of his mind as he walked towards the staircase leading to the lobby area, this time ignoring the longing glances of Academy girls.

A sudden movement out of the corner of his peripheral vision yanked him out of his thoughts. He turned his head towards the nearest mirror as if to fix his hair, and caught sight of a reflection of a darkly dressed figure just as it miraculously vanished into thin air. He proceeded down the stairs, maintaining a constant pace so as not to alert the new presence of his awareness. He felt it step into the rhythm of his footsteps, halting as he did, and disappear when someone ran up or down the staircase.

Sasuke reached the last step and turned around.

"Gaara, you really don't need to act like a ninja if you want to talk to me."

A redheaded boy materialised from behind a nearby wall and sauntered to him, feet barely making a sound against the marble-white floors of the lobby.

"I have a favour to ask of you," he stated. Sasuke rolled his eyes. Gaara was never one for pleasantries, and neither did he ever consider including them in his conversations. He never beat around bushes, opting instead to express his intentions clearly. He could be sitting in the middle of a sandstorm, drinking his bitter herbal tea in front of a bloodthirsty opponent and not move a muscle. That was probably why Sasuke had on no occasion seen his green-eyed classmate be tactless, impulsive or clumsy around famed businessmen and illustrious leaders. He was not afraid to sacrifice his pride or his life for the sake of his country, or achieve his ambition. The qualities of a ruthless Kazekage, Gaara had. But the title itself, he could not.

"Shoot."

"Keep an eye on Tenten."

* * *

 Neji swiveled around, frustrated that the girl was nowhere to be seen. He'd only left her behind in the garden, for goodness's sake, and would have left her there completely were it not for Tsunade catching him alone and yelling at him. So he grumbled his way back to the garden, and found no one there. Fuming, Neji charged back to the central plaza, to where she was probably doing some more shopping. That annoyed him to no end, because he knew that she knew he was there, and knew that she knew that he wouldn't make any move to greet her, because people usually came to him.

Neji caught a glimpse of two brown buns bobbing up and down in the crowd and pushed his way forward to grab onto them, only to come into contact with two chocolate ice cream scoops. The melted ice cream dripped down his hands and onto his Hyuga robes. He cringed and looked up at the shocked child standing before him. He broke into a large wail that drew too much attention and pointedly ignored the scathing words thrown at him.

Now, Hyuga children rarely, if ever, broke into insufferable bouts of wailing, so Neji had no idea how to deal with his current predicament. "There, there," he said, lightly patting the child's greasy hair. He curled his lips in disgust, and wiped the grease down onto his robes. An elderly lady sauntered towards him moments later while waving her cane around in the air furiously.

"Oh my, is this the future of the Hyuga clan? You are a shame, young man! How dare you destroy my grandson's snack! You should start learning how to deal with children, you hooligan!" She shuffled away from him to her grandson, and gave him a comforting hug. "Your father will hear about this!"

Neji scoffed - like father cares - and continued down the street. At least, he tried to. The crowd had condensed even more during the happenings of the previous incident, limiting his walking space. One of the only disappointments of this Tournament period is the crowd, that's for sure. He irritably pushed his way through the hordes, glaring at screaming babies and chattering teenaged girls who were clearly truancing.

With a final step out of the multitudes, Neji shook off invisible accumulations of dust of his clothes and straightened them out with the palms of his hands, consequently marring his freshly-ironed Hyuga robes with dark chocolate streaks. They looked like skid marks against the pure white background. He grimaced.

Angling his head upwards, Neji found himself face to face with the very same girl he was looking for. Also, the very same girl who indirectly put him in his current predicament - chocolate-coloured clothing, shopping bags and all. He was relieved to see her unscathed - Principal Tsunade would've beat him up for being inhospitable to a visitor - and so very ready to scowl and condescendingly mock her for not following him at once. He eyed her hair-buns and glowered at them.

"Remove your buns."

"My what?"

"They're too noticeable."

She gaped like a fish and scrunched up her fists. "Keep your perverted white eyes off my butt."

He looked confused for a bit, and finally registered the meaning of her words. Neji scowled. "I meant your hair."

Ignoring her protests, he grumpily pulled out the elastic bands keeping her hair together and felt his breath hitch in his throat as he watched it tumble down past her shoulders to her waist in elegant brown locks. He suddenly grew painfully aware of how nicely her hair framed her delicate features, now twisted in an hostile sneer, of how her tank top revealed am evenly-toned upper body and the rise and fall of her breasts, held back tightly with bindings, of how intricate black tattoos wound themselves around her arms - the marks of a Gensho warrior.

She lunged towards him, effectively catching him off-guard and twisted his arms behind his back at an awkward angle. Enraged, Neji attempted to detangled himself from her grasp and face the brunette with a level-headed gaze, and it was futile. He'd never been in a vulnerable position before, and it was clear she liked to take advantage of those.

"Give me those elastic bands back," she said through gritted teeth,"Give them back, or I'll snap your arms off."

Hyuga Neji looked at the girl - Tenten? - again, and saw a small girl driven by her emotions, and one who had yet to come to terms with her past. She was too fiery, too rash, too...red. He scoffed, and tossed the bands back to her. She caught them with a triumphant smirk as she relinquished her grasp and grabbed her jacket from the floor, hastily hiding a black cape within it. Neji saw a blur of a red and white cloud just as it disappeared into her jacket and froze.

"Akatsuki."

It was a single word, not loud enough to be heard amongst the throngs of the crowd, and too far away from her to be heard. But with that single word, accompanied by a cold, suspicious glare, the brunette stiffened and did not meet Neji's eyes until he appeared right before her, furiously pinning her up against a brick wall.

"I've only ever encountered that symbol in books, and know that the Akatsuki disappeared from the face of the earth 40 years ago. Why do you have an Akatsuki cape? Are you reviving the cult? Are you betraying your country? Your village? The Alliance? TELL ME!" He shook her shoulders violently and roared in her face, agitation, rage and betrayal evident on his aristocratic features. Her lower lip trembled, and within a blink of an eye steeled herself in a metal armour, as was her second nature, like a second skin - the perfect defence mechanism.

Neji released his grip on her, shocked. It was rare, just like how a Gensho civilian learning both shinobi and Gensho techniques was - Gensho students never had enough chakra to fully complete and master the skills of a ninja, that he came across a power like hers.

"Excuse me, but you're clearly the one who needs to calm down right now. Besides," she nonchalantly folded up the cloak to hide the symbol, "You, prodigy-san, are extremely close minded, and wouldn't even believe me if I told you."

His features contorted into a sinister smirk at her words, veins dilating around the outside of his eyes. Tenten's eyes widened - the byakugan. "Try me."

"I found this cape," she started, holding it up in front of her, "buried underneath rags, inside a box, in a dark alleyway."

He jeered. "So what?"

"And this cape was folded neatly inside this particular box." He glanced down at the box Tenten handed over to him; the engraved symbol made his skin crawl. His face paled as she threw the cloak at him. He caught it with one hand.

"How about that, the Akatsuki and the Hyuga clan - working together."

With a shaky hand, he peered down at it. "Who are you?"

"I'm just a nameless orphan."


	10. Chapter 9

"I'm just a nameless orphan."

* * *

 Neji learnt, from a young age, that the only thing that came between him and success was his mental limitations. The sky has no limits, they had told him when he first began his training - as a shinobi, though, not as a Gensho warrior, and your determination and skills will be the only things important to you as you grow older. Trust and love the clan, and the clan only.

So he spent day in and day out trying in vain to learnt the Gentle Fist, and art passed down from generation to generation in his family, but he couldn't do it. No matter how many well-placed palms he aimed at the punching bag or meditation sessions he painstakingly sat through each day, not even an ounce of chakra made its way through his body, except for the small concentration of it that enabled him to activate his byakugan. Even that feat was rare and required days of built up chakra to stimulate. He was, in the Elders' eyes, a failure to the clan.

His mother, Hyuga Maemi (previously of the once-powerful Housen clan), known for her exceptional beauty, accused of seducing the clan head's brother, Hyuga Hizashi, and bearing an inept child to him, was relegated from her high-ranking position to become his mistress and thus, Hyuga Neji became a mere concubine's son and a disappointment to his entire clan - after all, who in the name of Hyuga was unable to wield the Gentle Fist?

The sudden death of his mother only a few years later was quickly hushed up by the Elders - a new and noble young lady was being groomed to be the new wife of his father, and no ''scandalous'' woman's death could thwart their plans. But Neji had no parents to care for him, no mother to comfort him every night after a long day's training, no father to bond with, and no grandparents - they had all abandoned him in spite of his beautiful mother. It was Hyuga Hiashi's - his uncle's - pity that compelled him to take Neji in to raise him as one of his own.

The Elders, after much protest, reluctantly agreed with Hiashi's decisions. Neji would stay well out of the way of his engaged father and invest his time in his studies, instead of preparing himself for entrance into the shinobi Academy. This period of time, from when Neji was merely 7 years old and orphaned to his thirteenth year under the strict governance of his clan, was arguably blissful for Neji.

Hyuga Hizashi remarried, and bore another son with his new wife, an upright and dutiful woman: the type who always wore their hair tightly back in a bun at the nape of her neck and presented herself in plain white kimonos - the type the Hyuga clan's Elders approved of greatly.

When Neji's powers first manifested at thirteen years of age, he was training in an abandoned courtyard by the moonlight. Consecutive blows were being aimed at a strong wooden post, clearly unaffected by his repetitive attempts, and Neji's hits grew stronger and stronger with each try until it no longer required what little chakra he already had. It was then, with one frustrated hit, that Neji discovered that he was the first Gensho warrior to be born into his prestigious clan.

He could create force-fields: invisible barriers of energy, and powerful ones at that - the wooden post he was punching earlier had shattered into thousands of wooden splinters, waking up every sleeping Hyuga man, woman and child in the entire estate. They gathered around him in amazement, hostility forgotten, asking him question after question after question; for how long did he know about this? Why didn't he tell anyone? When did it happen?

Neji was soon ushered out of his plain and cramped room into a luxuriantly decorated one near his father's. It was as if their previous animosity and indifference had been magically swept away and replaced with the kind, loving family he yearned for so long ago. His father and stepmother welcomed him with open arms and a large smile, son standing obediently behind them. Neji merely stepped robotically into and out of their embrace. These were the people who he longed for the most in all of his thirteen years; the father who never spared a glance at him, the stepmother who unknowingly destroyed the heart of his own mother, and the boy who replaced Neji's space in his father's heart. He wanted nothing and everything to do with them.

His admittance into the Gensho Academy of the Leaf was nerve-wracking for him. Not once had he ever dared to venture outside his home, and yet here he was, standing in front of one of Gensho-kind's most privileged schools in an expensive black blazer bearing the Academy's logo, pants, white blouse and patterned tie and a proud-looking Hyuga Hizashi standing beside him with a hand resting on Neji's shoulder.

The reputation of the Hyuga family rests in your hands, Neji. Not once have we ever had a Gensho warrior before, he said to him on that very day, make me proud, son. It was the very first time someone had referred to him as son; not even his loving Uncle had done that. Neji suddenly didn't care about all the past grievances his father placed upon him before - he wanted to fling his skinny arms around him and cry his heart out. But he couldn't do that, he was a Hyuga man.

His whole life, despite being treated cruelly by servants and higher-ups alike, was governed by the rules of his clan. His education and his training was under the tutelage of a stern clan head, who drilled into his head the duty of a man born into the Hyuga family. Love, trust and fight for the clan, and the clan only. He never questioned the words of his superiors or their motives - it was unheard of. No matter how merciless his own family was to him, he still loved them all unconditionally.

But only now, at this very moment, the thick sheet of ice covering his mind, body and soul began to crack, leaving behind deep fissures of queries and suppressed thoughts. The taught string defining his utter devotion to his clan began to unravel. Why was his clan and village associated with the Akatsuki, the most fearsome cult to be formed in all of mankind's history? Why was it that this one girl, shimmering in an armour of silver, was able to break through the tough exterior of his mind and make him question his loyalties to the people who raised him?

"Who are you?" he had asked with a shaky hand. She replied with five words, I'm just a nameless orphan. Being orphaned was no joking matter, and Neji learned that many people around the world were orphans, so what made him or anyone else special? But with these five words, said with a steady voice and an unwavering stare, Neji knew that she was despairing inside.

"I'm an orphan, too," he said quietly. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Oh, are you?" she sneered at him maliciously, not believing his words.

"My father," he looked at her closely. When he had let down her hair earlier, he saw stunningly delicate features framed by flowing, dark brown locks stretching down to the small of her back and a tanned, slender body - lithe and fragile. She was covered in scars and bruises when she held him in an arm-lock, Gensho tattoos intricately snaking around her arms in the manner a vine would wind itself around a tree. Now, covered in a sheet of shining metal, he could see no scratches, scars or bruises, but solid, metallic muscles gleaming underneath the sunlight, lighting up the tattoos all over her body in a harsh white glow.

"I only have my father now. My mother passed away several years ago," he stated firmly. He didn't want to pass off as weak or demure in front of a future ally, even if he despised her.

Her expression softened slightly. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be, it wasn't your fault, and this," he took a cautious step towards her, and leveled the Akatsuki cape with their gazes, "wasn't your fault either, I sincerely apologise for wrongly accusing you of affiliating yourself with the Akatsuki."

Her shoulders visibly relaxed, and she dismounted the metal armour from her body. it vanishes, as if into thin air, he noticed, but didn't think too much of it.

"Thank you, for doing that," she replied gratefully, "and, I'm sorry as well, for making you dig up your past. Don't look at me like that. You've been silent for a good ten minutes."

"You're welcome." Only now was he aware of the crowd that accumulated around them during their argument. He looked around at their bewildered faces and winced. What would the public think of him now that he was seen arguing and physically attacking an ally? He was the composed and highly regarded leader of Team Konoha, a prodigal member of the Hyuga clan, a role model for all to look up to and yet here he was, covered in grime, sweat and chocolate - all because of one girl, now that he thought about it.

A slow clapping sound resounded through the alleyway, catching the attention of the current crowd. It came from a tall, pale-faced boy with spiky black hair.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he spoke up, "wasn't that a spectacular performance from our two teams!" The bewildered faces of the crowd slowly changed to those of amazement. "I hope you're all hyped for the final stage of this Tournament, because there's plenty more action where this came from! Vote for Team Suna, we won't disappoint you." He finished with a merry laugh and the crowd dispersed, some shaking their heads in amusement and others excitedly running off to their companions, telling them about the performance they just witnessed.

"Sasuke-"

"Tenten," the boy suddenly turned around to face her, expression grave, "what the hell were you doing?"

* * *

 Sasuke had the capacity to intimidate anyone and at anytime he wanted just as easily as he could charm them, Tenten realised. After he had dealt with the confused crowd, Sasuke turned on her with an accusatory glare and demanded an explanation of what really happened. She recovered from her shock at seeing the crowd and calmly showed him the Akatsuki cape. His expression darkened at the sight of the symbol as he took it into his hands, Akatsuki, he had whispered under his breath.

She and Neji treaded carefully behind Sasuke on the way back to the Academy. The cloak's appearance seemed to have had a drastic effect on the Uchiha's temperament, something that rarely went beyond sarcastic and nonchalant. Neji was the first to storm into his room when they reached the Left Wing, mumbling something incomprehensible under his breath. The second was Sasuke, but not before telling them to meet up with him, clean and tidy, in twenty minutes with Neji in tow. Then, she hurried into her room, quickly greeting her perplexed roommate, and raced into the shower.

"Were you listening to a word I was saying, 'Ten?"

Tenten blinked. "No?"

Sasuke sighed. "We have to do something about this fiasco before anyone else finds out. I'm actually curious to know how that cloak got here."

Neji looked up from his menu and signalled for the waitress. "From what information we've already gathered, we know that Konoha and the Hyuga clan are a major part in this - tea, thank you - in this event."

Tenten shot Neji a disgusted look. "This restaurant is known for it's delicious Korean beef, and all you order for us is tea? Sasuke, tell me he's crazy."

"On the contrary, I like his drinking preferences - traditional, yet refreshing. Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke stuck out a pale hand, eyes urging Neji to shake it. He did so. "Hyuga Neji, you're much more pleasant than your weapon's mistress."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "Anyway, the cloak."

"What cloak?" A bright and cheery-looking girl with pink hair appeared from behind the doorway wearing a Gensho Leaf uniform.

"My father's cloak," Neji answered hastily, "we were just talking about how fantastic it looked last night at the Opening Ceremony. Everyone, I'd like you to meet Haruno Sakura. She's a very skilled medic and team member of my team." He shot Tenten and Sasuke a glance - we'll talk later - which they returned.

Sakura greeted them politely. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Tenten," she replied stiffly. Chirpy, gorgeous and glamorous girls never mixed well with Tenten. They always reminded her of Ino.

"Ah, Sakura, darling. I was wondering when you'd show up. We haven't had our tour yet," he sent a wink her way and she blushed before stumbling into the seat beside Neji. The Hyuga lifted an eyebrow.

"Alright!" Tenten exclaimed abruptly, "let's have lunch, I'm famished from all this shopping."

It was Neji's turn to roll his eyes in exasperation while Tenten ordered extra beef from the pretty waitress.

"Tenten, what have you been doing for the entire day to warrant extra beef?" He asked as the restaurant staff carried plates of beef onto their table. "Isn't this a bit too much?"

"Shopping," Neji interjected, "And being a pain in my backside."

"Please," Tenten faked a smile at Neji, loading several portions of beef into her bowl, "You don't even have a backside worthy of being a pain to. I was just buying team supplies!"

Out of the corner of her peripheral vision, Tenten could see Sasuke extracting a plastic fan out of the new goodie bag she purchased on the way to the restaurant. Neji cleared his throat and downed his tea, glaring at Tenten pointedly.

They left the restaurant after silently eating away the platters of meat (most of which were devoured by Sasuke, the hypocrite), and Sasuke led Sakura to finish their tour of Konoha. Tenten had sent Sasuke a knowing glance, which he returned. Neji and Tenten continued forwards towards the Academy, both too tired to continue antagonising each other with insults and extended shopping sprees. They lapsed into an awkward silence, until Tenten decided to strike up a conversation.

"Was everyone on your team trained by the same person?" she asked him curiously.

"No, we were all trained separately, but my cousin, Hinata - I'm sure you've met her, and I were the first of our clan to develop a Gensho ability, so we were trained by the same person."

"What about the others?"

"They all had their own mentors, either from family members or the teachers. For instance, Lee and his own mentor."

"Who was it?"

"Gai," Neji replied flatly. Tenten was suddenly assaulted with images of green spandex and sparkling white teeth. She shuddered visibly, wondering how she could have missed that.

"The big green dude."

A ghost of a smile flickered across Neji's face. "Yes, Tenten-san, if you put it that way. He is 'the big green dude', although he frequently refers to himself as Konoha's Green Beast."

Tenten winced and inwardly praised Neji for his enduring patience. Two overly-energetic men dressed in tight green jumpsuits with sparkling teeth and boisterous voices would be far too much for her to handle. They neared the foot of the Hokage Monument just as the sun began to lower itself from the sky, leaving a hazy red-orange glow on the four stone faces overlooking the village.

"What about your team? Were they trained like mine?" Neji inquired.

"No," she started softly, "we were all trained and chosen by one person."

"And who was that?"

"Gaara's father - the Yondaime Kazekage." Neji stumbled a bit on the first step.

"All trained? By the illustrious Yondaime Kazekage himself?" Tenten bit back a laugh at his astonishment. Few knew how dedicated Gaara's famous father was to Team Suna; that he spent every second of every day adjusting their stances and techniques, making sure they were comfortable in their own homes, or how he emotionally and financially supported the families of the team of teenagers he was grooming to enter the Tournament exclusively. After all, how ridiculous was the thought that the most powerful man in Sunagakure was doting on seven volatile teenagers?

"Yup," she made a popping sound at the 'p', deciding to change the topic quickly, "How long do these stairs go on for? I'm pretty sure we've been climbing up for five hours already."

"Two minutes. We only have about ten more minutes to go, if we walk quickly."

"What if I run?"

Neji looked at her quizzically, then smirked. "One."

"Well then," she stretched out her legs and arms, grinning manically at Neji, "See you at the other side, Hyuga."

And dashed off laughing, not caring to see whether he really did follow, or whether she would be insanely out of breath by the time she arrived at the Academy, or that a boy standing a just few steps behind them, bearing a tattoo above his brow, silently vanished from behind Neji with a sullen look on his face.


	11. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Hinata eyed her roommate warily.

It wasn't every day one got to meet and have an energetic conversation with the industrious Rock Lee, and neither was it common to be greeted with a flashing smile and a bone crushing hug by Konoha's Green Beast Jr., or in his case, maybe it was. But strangely enough, Tenten seemed to take his overpowering presence surprisingly well in comparison to Lee's past meetings.

They usually backed away from him nervously or thought up an excuse to get away, the latest being a hastily put together explanation of how pleated skirts were currently in season, and were only $5 each ("How bizarre", Hinata had said to the pale boy, "a boy wearing skirts? And how odd that you just quoted that billboard over there! Isn't that funny, ha ha ha!).

But, to be honest, Hinata had also found his spirited attitude greatly overpowering at their first meeting, but could not bring herself to decline his efforts to be friendly and hurt his feelings, so she patiently listened to his boisterous words and declarations of love to Sakura-chan and eventually became accustomed to Lee's boldness, tight green jumpsuits and sparkling white teeth. He was a comfort to be around at sad times as well, Hinata discovered one day.

It was the day Naruto left the village to train with the Legendary Sannin Jiraiya, and she was silently mourning to herself at the Ichiraku Ramen stand. She woke up extra-early that day and rushed to Ichiraku's immediately, waiting for Naruto to drop by - at least to say goodbye to the stall he loved so very much. Instead, she saw him walk past the shop - past her - to a grumpy Sakura-chan with a smile that she yearned to be directed at her one day.

Lee had found her crying to herself at the very same spot Naruto had departed from - the village's front gates. She sobbed morosely into his spandex shirt over the loss of her mother, Kana-chan, and finally, Naruto. She didn't register his stiffening upon hearing the second name, as he was continuously patting her back soothingly.  
He told her, in an assortment of youthful words, that she could try to improve herself in order to catch Naruto's attention - what was stopping her?

From that day onwards, Hinata resolutely changed her mind. She wanted to impress Naruto, prove to him that she wasn't a demure and timid girl like her clan thought she was. Though, admittedly, choosing to train day in and day out with Lee wasn't her best decision. His work-out was clearly built for those similar to his physique, which Hinata was not, and determination. She decided that she would train with Neji instead and Lee agreed profusely - after all, who better to teach her Hyuga Gensho techniques than the first one himself? Fortunately, Neji concurred with her request.

Nonetheless, Tenten handled Lee's dynamic salutations quite well, opting to return his hug and stammer out her name. Hinata always knew when Lee took a liking to someone, it was difficult as he took a liking to ninety-nine percent of the people he met, and when he didn't - he either continued talking to them animatedly or leapt up and declared loudly to them that he was going to begin an intense workout. In this case, Lee immediately took a liking to Tenten, and Hinata felt a beam of happiness surge up within her, now that Lee had made a new friend without scaring her away.

"Lee-kun, I think she's finding it hard to breathe right now," she said with an amused expression. Lee dropped a suffocating Tenten to the floor at once and looked down at her, startled.

"Forgive me, Tenten-chan!" She looked up at Lee, who was apologising to her profusely for "being too caught up in your youthful beauty", in a flustered manner and shook her head, laughing. Hinata let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. A loud whistle suddenly echoed through the room, diverting Hinata's attention to a man with a scraggly black sideburns running down his face to an unkempt beard, perceptive brown eyes darting back and forth between the faces of the competitors.

"Listen up everyone," he began gruffly, "you may have spent the past few years training your arms and legs off to get into this event, and now that you have, don't get too cocky. Millions of people would kill for your positions, so if I or the other instructors catch any one of you breaching the rules, you'll be booted off your team faster than you can say shinobi. Do I make myself clear?"

Hinata's eyes widened as she nodded vigorously and cringed in dismay afterwards when she heard a loud "tch, troublesome" pierce the rigid silence. The man's eyes narrowed suspiciously at Shikamaru, but if he felt any need to punish him, she didn't know.

"Now that that's out of the way, we'll begin with introductions. My name is Sarutobi Asuma, and I'll be in charge of your survival training."

* * *

 Sarutobi...Asuma. The Hokage's son? Temari raised an eyebrow, impressed. From all the profiles she had studied (and memorised) months before the Tournament, his was the most notable. Every one of the instructors in this room, she noticed as she recognised their faces from their ID pictures, were more than qualified to train them for the next week, but one thing - one crucial aspect - that made Sarutobi Asuma more unique than the other mentors was that he wasn't a Gensho warrior, but a ninja - and an extremely adept one at that.

His expression when addressing them for the first time was grave and tense and his eyes had had a stern glint to them. Everything about him now - the beard, sideburns, pipe and shinobi headband - were identical with what she saw in his ID picture, though his facial expression in that was playful and warm. It was a complete turn around, and one she was used to seeing in her teachers back at home. But then when she saw his eyes flicker over to where Shikamaru was standing (I can't believe he said 'troublesome' after a lecture, that idiot), she could've sworn that underneath the layers of suspicion, there was a hint of amusement and love - the fatherly type of love she'd never received from her own.

She shook the thoughts of her father out of her head and focused her attention to the other trainers. There were three in total, Asuma included. One was a man in a darkly-coloured mask that covered his face up to the bridge of his nose. His face was turned to the side, mainly because he was fully immersed in a conversation with a man in a green jumpsuit standing next to him. Temari winced, he looked exactly like that hyperactive boy who hugged Tenten earlier. The masked man sensed her gaze on him and turned his head to look back at her.

She stood frozen in shock for a split second. The shape of his eyes, droopy and heavy-lidded, didn't shock her, and neither did the jagged scar running down his right one. It was the pupil of his right eye, a revolving black wheel in a sea of red, that sent a jolt of fear up her spine. The sharingan, a kekkai genkai inherited only by those in the Uchiha clan of Sunagakure; yet, here it was, safe and out for display in the eye of one of Konoha's Gensho warriors - Hatake Kakashi. Temari didn't see this in his ID picture, his eye in that was black in colour. So the rumours were true then, Kazekage-sama.

She held his stare until he seemed to lose interest and turned back to his companion. She nervously tilted her head downwards to where Sasuke stood beside her.

"Did you see that?" she whispered under her breath. It was a vague question, but then again, Sasuke was always a quick thinker. She looked at him, and though he was smirking, arrogance evident in his features, his shoulders were tense, his expression strained.

"Yes," he hissed, but stopped when Asuma cleared his throat to catch everyone's attention. They ceased their conversation.

"To my right is Hatake Kakashi. He will be in charge of your Gensho training, and Maito Gai, your fitness mentor. We three will be supervising you and your training for the next week or so, in and out of training, so feel free to ask us any questions you want."

Kakashi's gaze drifted around the faces of the competitors lazily, but Temari knew better than that. She'd heard rumours of his lethal abilities on the battlefield - Copy-Cat Kakashi, he'd been nicknamed, and now she knew why. The notorious Hatake warrior didn't observe the crowd like a casual onlooker, he scrutinised them with his sharp, deceptively lazy eyes and measured from a glance how well and how quickly he could take down his opponent, give or take a few weaknesses. He was, after all, a well-known closet pervert.

"Neji, Tenten, Lee, Gaara, Ino," Asuma called out the names on his list, jolting Temari out of her thoughts, "you five will form Group One. Please make your way over to where Gai-san is standing, you will begin your training with him every day." She watched her three teammates step forward and march to Gai (in Lee's case, leaping forward with springy steps and starry eyes), Gaara sticking to Tenten like glue in an effort to make her walk faster, and Ino gracefully walking behind them. Temari squinted her eyes. She could've sworn Neji took a few quick steps to catch up with Tenten, but given how wide his steps were when he walked, that was probably her imagination.

"Group Two: Sasuke, Shikamaru, Sakura, Sai, Kiba - you will be with me." She rolled her eyes when Sasuke playfully draped an arm over Sakura's shoulder, much to the ire of an energetic boy standing behind her. Three other boys completely different in appearance - and probably personality - ambled behind them ("Tch, troublesome.").

"I guess that leaves me with your four.," a masculine voice spoke up, "Shall we make our way up to The Loft?"

* * *

 The Loft, as it turned out, was short for The Leaf's Official Training Faculty, and was probably shortened to Loft for a) convenience's sake, and b) the fact that it really was a loft, albeit larger and much more technologically advanced than the average storage space. They should've called it a penthouse.

She and the others had followed Kakashi out of the school's gym and through several brightly-lit corridors before he stopped at an elevator, punched in a numbered password and stepped in, motioning for them to follow. They had stood in the lift, awkwardly making small talk and introducing themselves to each other - it wasn't like she needed it, reading all their files beforehand definitely came in handy. She knew, prior to arriving in Konoha, that Uzumaki Naruto was a cloning master capable of performing some ninja techniques and Hyuga Hinata was an empath and the shy heiress of her clan. What she didn't know, and deduced in a matter of seconds, was that the late Fourth Hokage's son was the object of the heiress's affection, and he was completely and utterly oblivious to it. For how long, she had no idea.

"Oi, Temari," Kankuro whispered in her ear, "how long are we gonna be in a group with those two?"

"About a week."

"A what?"

"A cat. We'll be with them for about a cat," she responded sarcastically. Kankuro glared at her.

"That Naruto kid's giving me a headache. How can you stand being his roommate?"

Eyes rolling,"I'm the elder sister of two psychopathic idiots." He glared at her again and turned his attention over to Hinata, whose lavender eyes caught his stare. She blushed lightly.

"We're here." Kakashi spoke up. He was strange, Temari mused to herself. She'd read multiple accounts from her father's desk about The White Fang's deadly son, how he could pinpoint a person's weakness at first glance and obliterate them in a matter of seconds. Yet here he was, walking out of an elevator like an ordinary citizen, that was, as ordinary as a citizen could get - he'd been reading that ridiculous red book ever since the journey to The Loft had begun.

'Here' was a large training room the size of a regular swimming pool with so many windows lining the walls that artificial light was only needed to illuminate areas where natural light didn't. The floor was padded with black judo mats and crates full of head-guards and protective body gear sat neatly in a corner of the room.

They sat down cross-legged on the judo mats as Kakashi stood before them. She didn't like sitting down like this; it gave her a feeling of being treated like a child. She hated being treated like a child.

"I'm assuming that you're all highly-skilled students and have near-perfect control over your abilities." They nodded confidently. "Near-perfect isn't good enough." Temari heard Hinata draw in a sharp breath. "The Tournament wasn't designed for wimps; you've all spent years refining your abilities through cold sweat, blood and tears, then were hand-picked by the toughest of trainers for a good reason. Over the next week, you'll be honing your abilities even further, training in rain, sleet, snow, drought - you name it." He held all their gazes.

"You'd be lucky to make it through this Tournament with only a few broken bones."

Time seemed to stand still when he enunciated his last sentence.

"We start at nine - sharp - every day. You'll meet me in this room, and I trust that you can warm up yourselves. We train for three hours, and with every three-hour interval, you'll switch over to the next instructor - and according to my timetable, you all have gym with Gai-sensei next. Do you have any questions?"

"When's our lunch break?" Naruto piped up.

He gave Naruto a dry look. "At noon, for one hour."

She knew Kakashi was looking at every one of them, and though he continued to speak clearly through his mask, she couldn't shake off the feeling that his sharingan kept its attention on her everywhere he went. Temari shivered, and knew that it wasn't just from the cold.

* * *

 Tenten ticked her name off under the 'Treadmill' checklist and crouched down to her sports-bag. Drawing out a clear water bottle, she stood back up again, leaned back against the wall and took a long swig out of the bottle just as a red-haired boy in a black tank top and shorts ran up to her. He ticked his name off and slung a yellow towel over his shoulder. She watched him take several gulps out of his bottle before splashing the rest of the water onto his head. Some droplets clung to his spiky hair in glittery baubles whilst others trickled down his toned arms in tiny, crooked rivers. Tenten blushed and looked forward again.

"This workout is...quite vigorous, huh?" she asked him, "What do you have next?"

"Laps," Gaara cringed openly, "200 of them. If I don't finish, Gai-sensei will make me do 300 pushups. How about you?"

"Ouch, I finished that a few hours ago - it's not too bad. Next is yoga, with Kurenai. Apparently the Principal decided Gai wasn't suitable enough for yoga." She kicked her right leg upwards and held onto it with her hands, balancing on her standing one. "I like him."

Gaara looked at her in a surprised manner.

"He has so much energy for someone his age, if only Kazekage-sama was like that - a green jumpsuit, orange leg warmers, a bowl c-"

"I'd rather not visualise my father like that."

She giggled at him, and released her leg. "I'm going now, have fun running!"

"I'll try."

Tenten jogged across the gym to where a bushy-haired woman with her hair tied back in a high ponytail sat in front of a large window. She was easing herself into a splitting position on top of a yoga mat, and when she looked up, Tenten could see that her eyes were a brilliant red against a pale-white and dainty face. Kurenai grinned and motioned for Tenten to sit on the yoga mat before her.

"Hello," she greeted with a warm smile, "Yuhi Kurenai, pleasure to meet you."

"Tenten," she replied, "it's nice to meet you, too." She settled herself into the same position facing the older woman and leaned forward to touch her toes. Tenten winced when she felt her calves stretch; Gai's routine was a pain to bear, especially with his self-motivation techniques. She had dutifully completed everything on her exercise schedule in order to avoid doing another thousand pushups, but in the end, Tenten realised these kinds of workouts were clearly built for people like Gai and Lee.

"Kurenai-sensei."

"Ah, Neji! You've finished Weights?"

"Yes, this is my last station."

She waved a hand to the yoga mat beside Tenten. "Excellent! Please make yourself at home next to Tenten. Oh, silly me. Tenten, dear, this is Hyuga Neji, our top student, and Neji, this is Tenten."

Tenten straightened up from her stretching position and looked up at Neji. "Oh, we've met."

Kurenai looked mildly surprised, but shook her head and laughed. "Of course you have." Standing up, she brushed the invisible dirt off her trousers. "Now stay here and cool down a little. I need to grab a few things."

As she left, Tenten stood up to face Neji. "You look like a girl." And it was true - Neji's hair was tied up in a long ponytail at the nape of his neck, a far cry from his usual low knot. She felt a twinge of jealousy; he's prettier than Ino, and that's saying something.

"You could look like a girl." Tenten felt her left eye twitch. She'd heard that from many girls back in Suna - oversized black tees and an assortment of jeans weren't girly or trendy, but they were comfortable and she liked comfortable. Even at this moment, twin buns slowly unraveling themselves and body glistening unattractively with sweat, she would rather be dressed appropriately and ready to train than scantily dressed, like Ino currently was. Call me conservative, but at least my boobs aren't falling out.

"That depends on what you call a girl."

"I could use the same token on you, Tenten-san."

Drat. "You were right," she said, hastily changing the topic, "Lee's quite eccentric."

He looked at her with an I-told-you-so expression. "I've always wondered how he was able to earn a place on Team Konoha." In the distance, Lee grabbed Ino in a tight hug and spun her around in circles. Neji grimaced slightly. "He was a late developer, and his lack of Gensho ability until he was 17 baffled both his kind and shinobi alike. Ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu are a ninja's lifeline, and because Lee-san never displayed any prowess in those fields as a young boy, the village elders were convinced enough to make him give up his life as a warrior. I, personally, agree with them."

Tenten's eyes hardened. "I can see that fighting is akin to breathing for him - it's his life and soul. If no one believes in him, he'll work hard day in and day out to achieve his dreams, to make people believe. Giving up wouldn't have been an option for him - he'd rather die than do that. It's the quality I look for in a team leader and a warrior, Hyuga."

Neji scoffed. "Who are you to talk? You couldn't even hold back your rage when I requested a simple thing from you. As far as I can see, you lack the steady control of your ability, and the composed air that a fighter should have. A warrior definitely must have certain qualities to be successful in their careers, but what if they have no skill, like you?"

She glowered at him, fists trembling in anger at her sides. "Look, Hyuga, you're no better than I am. Remember when you slammed me into a wall the other day? Making irrational assumptions and leaping generalisations is your thing, not mine."

He stepped off his mat and walked off, having been silenced by her words. She was right, in some way, but he didn't want to admit it.

Neji didn't like being proven wrong, even when he knew it.

* * *

 "You summoned me, Principal?" Kurenai stepped into Tsunade's office with Asuma, Kakashi and Gai trailing in behind her. The blonde woman was sitting at her desk with a sake bottle in her hands, her face gaunt and tired. Shizune stood in front of the desk with Tonton in her arms, a worried expression pinching her delicate features.

"It seems we have a problem, Kurenai. He has returned."

She looked at her boss, confused. "Him? But why? After all these years?"

"Forgive me for my impertinence, my lovely Principal, but which youthful figure are you referring to?"

"I still can't believe it," she continued, ignoring Gai's inquiries, "why did he choose now, of all times?"

Kakashi spoke up, "Have you pinpointed his location yet? Perhaps his motives?"

She looked at him incredulously. "If I knew, I'd be storming up to the old man's office and telling him to send troops out there to bring that old snake in for interrogation," she snapped, "a traitor of our village is a traitor, childhood friend or not."

Just then, a burly man threw open the door with a loud crash, red-faced and carrying a neatly-wrapped, brown package in his hands.

"JIRAIYA. If you tell me that you were 'gathering information' again, I swear on Kami's name that I shall make sure the village's shelves are stripped of your vulgar porn books, whether Sensei agrees or not!"

"You love me far too much to follow through with that, Breastless."

"Oh? Are you willing to test that?" she replied snarkily. He quivered slightly, but laughed it off.

"Haha! Your humour sure has improved over the years!" Jiraiya's expression suddenly turned grave as he strode over to his teammate's mahogany desk with purpose. "Last night I received word from my sources notifying me of strange, paranormal activity taking place around our borders. They told me that they were going to go in and investigate. I haven't heard from them since."

"That's certainly suspicious," she tapped her bottle several times, "more, please. Thank you, Shizune. But what does that have to do with why I summoned you?"

Jiraiya sighed. "When he first disappeared, I also sent my troops after him. They never returned."

"I dislike reflecting on past events, Jiraiya," she replied impatiently.

"Normally, when my troops are killed in action, I can track them down, give them a proper burial. The only time I couldn't was when he was involved."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "Are you telling me that our old teammate, who has all but vanished from the face of the earth until yesterday, is currently lurking somewhere outside this village?"

"Yes." She sat back in stunned silence, not noticing Jiraiya's shifty exchange of the rectangular, brown package with his white-haired friend ("My latest edition. It's a masterpiece, I tell you.").

"What do you propose we do, Boss?" Asuma broke the silence with an eyeroll at Kakashi. "With the Tournament taking place, wouldn't it cause too much hastle among the civillians?"

Tsunade blinked. "Of course. You're right. We can't afford to risk this Alliance... You four," she barked out, "keep training the competitors, but stay vigilant. We need to preserve every fighter we can.

"Jiraiya and I will notify the Hokage."

"Yes, ma'am." All four Gensho instructors stepped out into the hallway at Tsunade's dismissal, refusing to speak about the impending crisis facing their village - perhaps the entire world.

* * *

 "So... Let me get this straight. You want me, the one and only me, to stalk Tenten, one of the strongest members of our team, because - why?"

"Not 'stalk', protect. I want you to protect her."

"I repeat, 'one of the strongest members of our team'."

Gaara gave Sasuke a hard stare. "Her skills are certainly far more superior than many in our team, but she is emotionally incapable of handling herself under pressure."

"Then, you obviously don't know Tenten well enough. I've seen her experience more emotional trauma than the average bear. She may have appeared to crumble under pressure, but there's more to that than what you see. Give her some credit, Lovey."

"How many times have I told you not to call me that ridiculous word?"

"Sai's a nicknaming genius, Lovey, give him some credit too."

"Just eat your food."

Sasuke smirked into his bowl of soup and took a whiff of its scent. "I hate tomato soup."

"That's your problem."

"Ooh, grouchy aren't we? Look, I think we can make a deal with this. You can eat everything that contains tomatoes for me, and I'll stalk - don't even deny it - Tenten for you, updates included."

Gaara seemed to contemplate Sasuke's proposal. He sat back on his chair, taking in the decor of the restaurant they were currently dining in. Akimichi's was themed orientally, its walls intricately decorated with drawings of fierce dragons battling tiny men in dark suits. The tables and chairs were carved out of bamboo, sanded down and polished to perfection. Brightly-lit lanterns hung about on the ceiling above them, though Gaara wondered how they were able to remain so perfectly intact with all the commotion happening at ground level.

He could tell that it was an extremely busy restaurant on a normal day - the smooth, flowing movements of the waiting staff made that obvious - but this wasn't a regular day, especially with both Teams seated at one long dining table. The press flocked around them in swarms of flashing cameras and microphones, fangirls screamed outside the doors for 'UCHIHA SASUKE!', and the overuse of the restaurant's Korean Barbeque grills made the air stuffy and uncomfortable. Even the plastered smiles of the staff was more strained than usual.

Stuffy and uncomfortable? He looked over at where Tenten sat, on the opposite side of the table, beside the stuffy Hyuga boy. He'd tried to keep them apart during their training times, and was pleased to see her tossing a piece of paper at him while he was running laps, but when they switched over to train with Kakashi during the last three hours, the Hyuga boy and Tenten were inseparable and demanding rematch after rematch. Gaara hated the bubbles of jealousy that rose up within his chest. The only thing keeping him from marching up to Hyuga Neji and challenging him to a duel was that Tenten talked to the boy out of spite, not love or fondness.

"Deal, she's getting far closer to him that I'd like to admit."

"Oh? Was that...jealousy?" Sasuke glanced sideways at him curiously, amusement flickering in his eyes.

"Don't tell me... that you're in love with Tenten?"


	12. Chapter 12

Gaara scoffed _._ _"_ _Love_ ," he spat out, "is for children." And it was true, in his eyes - only children, the pure, untainted souls that they are, believed in unconditional love. Gaara wasn't a naive child anymore. He had abandoned the thought and notion of falling in love a long, long time ago. His hand drifted to the kanji tattoo etched into his forehead - _love_. It was a constant reminder of the one thing who couldn't - wouldn't - fall into. "And that's how long we've been friends for. I don't have many companions, Sasuke, and I sure as hell don't want to lose my closest one either."

His words had their desired effect, as Sasuke didn't probe into the matter any further. The raven-haired boy leaned back in his seat and pushed his bowl towards Gaara. "So, about this tomato soup."

They smirked at each other, and swapped plates. If all Gaara had to do to keep his friendship intact was eat tomatoes, then so be it.

He glanced across the table at the brunette, hoping to catch her attention, but she was chatting happily with the Hyuga boy, as if enraptured by his presence.

When was the last time she looked at him with eyes that starry? Her demeanour around him had always been like that of a close friend, always respectful and grateful for how he changed her life. Honestly, he was scared. Scared of what chaos would be brought to him if he fell for the girl, so he was content with just being a friend - companion, even. It was safe.

But was it too safe, if all it took to weaken their bond was a stuck-up snob from Konoha?

Gaara sighed, and slurped up the contents of the soup. His throat tightened at the taste as he struggled to swallow the meal with as much dignity as he could muster, earning a few strange looks from his teammates. _What on earth?_ His eyes, widened, darted to Sasuke, who was merrily wolfing down a slab of steak. The Uchiha caught his gaze and grinned before finishing off his food.

"Seal it with a kiss, Lovey darling?"

Gaara rolled his eyes, gulping down the nearby cup of water.

"Maggot."

* * *

 

Training was harder the next day, and Tenten couldn't help but wonder what the organisers were going to throw at them. The day started off simply enough - routine warm ups, and a five hundred lap sprint with a much-too-energetic Gai - but the moment they stepped into Kakashi's lesson, all hell broke loose.

Apparently, Kakashi's idea of a "light training session" was ten or so sparring matches for a good hour, within which time he individually assessed the people in her group - "assessed" meaning dropping them into an obstacle course with flaming hoops and free-flying rocks. Or, at least, that was what Gaara told her.

After her match with Lee, which was frankly more of an overly-energetic series of punches and flying kicks, Tenten walked into the enormous obstacle room to find exactly what Gaara had described: bare walls, sandy floor, several large trapdoors and openings in the wall (presumably where the dangerous, swinging obstacles were held), and a bored-looking instructor leaning against the wall on the other side of the room.

"Tonton, was it?" She rolled her eyes, and corrected him. "Whatever. When I say 'Go', you need to run to where I'm standing without getting a single scratch on your body. There are no limitations in this course, so you can use all you've got to complete it. If you succeed unscathed, you may go. If you don't, we'll keep at it until you do. You ready, Tintin?"

He didn't wait for an answer, and immediately said "GO!" before disappearing in a puff of white smoke. At once, large boulders began rolling around the room and bouncing off the walls, whilst huge rings of fire swung from side to side. A section of the floor had sunk downwards to reveal piranha-infested waters, her only way across being a thin beam of wood. As if that wasn't hard enough, the exact place she was meant to reach was barricaded with a wall of spikes, and who knew what else would be thrown at her once she got there. She vaguely remembered Gaara telling her that "it was a piece of cake".

Taking a deep breath, she recalled all the years of training she'd spent honing her skills to perfection, and focused on sensing the metals around her. The chains connecting the rings of fire to the ceiling were metal, as were the rings themselves. She could make do with that.

A surge of energy rushed through her as she flicked her wrists downwards and sent the rings flying off the ceiling and towards her. Clenching her fists, Tenten compressed the large hoops into smaller ones and flattened them. The flames were extinguished as she created several whirling blades in the air around her. Fashioning the remaining chain into a pointed spear, Tenten charged forward, crushing and cutting flying rocks and boulders with the blades.

The piranha pool loomed closer and closer as Tenten approached it, deadly fish circling the water down below. _Let's go fishing_ , she thought as bunches of piranhas were joined together by the makeshift spear. It seemed to be an easy route from that point on, but as Tenten stepped onto the rickety platform, several huge metal anvils swung back and forth ahead of her. Or, at least, she assumed they were metal until she tried to manipulate them. But there was something wrong with the way they responded - instead of the usual soft humming she felt when metals replied to her call, there was...nothing.

Confused, Tenten brought her hands together, feeling the familiar rush of joy as her body's components hardened into cold steel. The transformation was complete; as far as Tenten was aware, nothing could pierce or even leave a scratch on her armour. But still, there was always a risk, and if her armour did fail her, there'd be no telling whether she'd end up in pieces or not.

Rushing forward, Tenten's feet nimbly flew across the wood as she calculated her next move. Jumping across the anvils was always an option, and it seem plausible for her until Kakashi's bored voice echoed throughout the hall.

"Toto! This is looking a little too easy for you!" Tenten breathed out a curse word - something bad was going to happen. "I'm thinking...a little lighting, and...probably some bears. Hungry, untamed, ferocious bears" His voice fizzled out as Tenten groaned. Bears? Lighting? Metals conduct electricity!

"Are you even allowed to cage wild bears? That's hardly ethical!" she shouted into thin air. There was no time to ponder and sulk, however, as a sleuth of angry bears were growling and thundering through the arena towards her. She made a move to leap onto the anvil in front of her, but stopped in her tracks when lightning struck and broke the anvils free from their ceiling bindings. This caused them to crash into the pool below, threatening to destroy the wooden plank.

Tenten hurriedly ran across the rest of it, stumbling when the floor suddenly smashed together, completely erasing any evidence of there being a pool present. That only meant one thing - the bears could easily get to her, and she needed to reach the finish line before she became ursidae lunch.

Tenten could outrun every boy in her year level by metres, and Sasuke by a hair fibre. But lightning was faster, and so were the bears, in her fatigued state. She ran for it anyway, heart leaping into her throat as the finish line grew closer and closer. The spikes were easy to overcome, as she moved them out of her way with a flick of her wrist. It was only until lightning bolt,so bright it was blinding, hit the spot right in front of her that she realised it was definitely a bad move to keep the armour on.

She dismantled it immediately, missing the sense of security it brought her. Looking up, Tenten grinned. The finish line was _so_ close she could taste it. If she could just speed up a littl-

_Whoa._ At first, it felt like a string was tugging at her, increasing in urgency as her desire to move faster increased. She thought it was Kakashi pulling a joke on her, until she remembered that she (and the rabid bears) was the only one in the arena. Tenten freaked out, and closed her eyes as the insistent tugging became stronger, zipping her forwards and onto the finish line. She opened her eyes.

"Well," Kakashi stood in front of her with a mildly amused expression, "your hair's looking dreadful, but...pass!"

* * *

Grumbling down the hallway, Tenten sleepily found her dorm door and was in the process of opening it when she saw a certain Hyuga about to enter his room as well. Too tired to talk, she gave him a slight glare, which he returned, and trudged into her room.

Kakashi was officially Captain Crazy. Sure, she'd trained through harsher conditions back in Suna, but even then bears didn't flounder around in heavy lightning. She turned on the hot water before stepping into the shower cubicle. Then there was the incident at the end. Was there something - or someone - controlling her every move without her knowing it? Or, was it just a figment of her imagination? Definitely not, she couldn't have imagined _that_ \- the sudden pull felt much too tangible and _real_ to be her imagination. As much as she hated admitting it, that scared her immensely.

Sighing, Tenten tilted her head back and let the water pour over her body, soothing her aching muscles and calming her mind. It was only Day 2 of training in Konoha and her body was already strained to the point of exhaustion. The strange climate was getting to her. In Suna, the air was drier, the sun hotter, and there was sand blowing around in everybody's faces. That was how she trained, and she was good at it. Hell, good weather meant a small windstorm at best. But here in Konoha, everything was moderately sunny, with blooming plants and crisp breezes. The people here were much more pleasant, untroubled by a lack of food and resources. They were _soft_.

Then again, she was the one who was barely coping with Konoha's weather.

Stepping out of the shower, Tenten grabbed her towel from the rack and wrapped it around her body, leaving her hair out to dry. Maybe it was a matter of what she did to grow accustomed to the climate, and staying in a luxury suite definitely wouldn't do her any good.

"What's up, grumpy?" Tenten shrieked and flung her door's handle at the perpetrator's head. It was caught in mid-air by none other than Sasuke Uchiha, who seemed unfazed by the fact that he was standing in a girl's dorm. "Doorknob to the head? That's old news."

Tenten scoffed. "So is sneaking into a girl's room. Why are you here anyway?" Sasuke frowned, calmly inserting the handle back into Tenten's door frame and leaned against the wall. She hurriedly pulled an oversized t-shirt over her head and let the towel drop down.

"It's about the cape." Her playful smirk quickly disappeared and was replaced by a grim line.

"Well, you _certainly_ have my attention now. What about it?"

"Don't you think it's too big of a coincidence that the Akatsuki cloak just _happened_ to be there when you were? And conveniently placed inside a crate _with_ the Hyuga symbol on another box? Doesn't it seem a little random to you?"

"Where are you going with this?"

"What if, for some wild reason, someone's after you? What if it's an omen?"

Tenten paused for thought. It did seem awfully convenient that the crate was right underneath a lamp, and that little effort was needed to open it. Who would leave it there, anyway? Why the an alleyway and not in some secret room inside an abandoned warehouse?

"I guess...But what can we conclude from this? What if it's just a cloak that someone put there as a prank? We don't know anything about its circumstances, Sasuke, maybe it _is_ a coincidence. Just focus on the Tournament and we can go home. I hate this place, it's so damn humid here."

Sasuke's sour expression reminded her of their younger days together, when he constantly moped about his brother's superior abilities, and the extraordinary expectations that came with them. That never stopped him from being an uptight smart-ass, but their friendship was strange. She was lonely, and family-less, he had a family, but was lonely in every other sense of the word.

She gently patted his face, and smiled softly. "Suke, we'll be fine, you're worrying too much. What's the worst that could happen?"

A loud shriek came from the door way, causing the duo to turn their heads to the source. Hinata Hyuga herself, clad in a long, navy-blue dress, was blushing from head to toe.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt! I just thought Tenten was alone, but I never- S-sorry!"

It was then that Tenten noticed her lack of pants, her manly, oversized t-shirt, and an awkward-looking Uchiha standing dangerously close to her. _Oops._


	13. Chapter 13

 

The rest of the week went by in a hazy blur.

Neji, for one, felt like his muscles were about to burst from the sudden influx of training. They'd covered everything - from handstands to hour-long marathons, and rope-tying to obstacle courses that defied the laws of physics. There'd been practical simulations in forests, deserts, or even desolate towns, where the Konoha and Suna teams were pitted against each other in a gruelingly long battle. He couldn't help but wonder what the actual, publicised event would be like. Surely, as most evaluations go, it'd be easier than the week-long routines? _Stop_ _kidding yourself. This isn't a foolish entrance exam, genius._

He chastised himself for being so cowardly. This Tournament was the one thing he needed to prove himself to the Hyuga clan, to Hiashi, to his remarried father, to _mother_. _She_ wouldn't want him to back out of a challenge and prove the clan right. Her entire life was ruined by the clan, and it was up to him to redeem them both. Neji had built himself up from rock bottom, and he _refused_ to fall back down again. Especially after all of his hard work.

He heard a rustle from behind, and quickly moved into his side stance, blasting a small force-field at the source of the sound. There was only a slight rustle in the trees, so Neji activated his _byakugan._ It was still difficult to accumulate the chakra needed to start it up, but not as painful or gut wrenching as before. That short week of drills and life-threatening situations improved his ability more than he thought it would. He could control and expand his shield range now, and at faster rates than before. The extensive combat session with Maito Gai had increased his endurance as well. If he wasn't feeling physically ready for this Tournament, then that just wasn't good enough.

_Oh joyful day_ , he thought to himself, _if it isn't Gaara._

"If I knew creeping up on other people was such an addictive past time of yours, I'd have reported you to the police earlier." The surly-faced Sabaku quietly stepped out from behind the trees and fixed a typical glare on Neji - or rather, his normal face.

"Don't flatter yourself, Hyuga. I'm here to train."

"Train? My apologies, I just assumed you were here to play in your little sandpit." Neji could see him clench his fists at his statement, and patted himself on the back for the witty comeback. Gaara glided across the training arena on a little mound of sand, and stood face-to-face with Neji.

"And who spends an hour trying to tame his hair every morning? At least I don't need mine to be sleek and shiny," the sand prince's counterattack hit home.

"It's a clan tradition," Neji paused for effect, taking in Gaara's unbelieving smirk, "A tradition is the passing down of elements of one's culture from generation to generation. A clan is a large family." He watched triumphantly as the Sabaku took in his implications before seething in anger.

"You, me. Duel. Now."

"No, thanks. Lunch starts in ten minutes, and I don't want to waste anymore time with idiots like you."

Then, Neji was striding away, reveling in his verbal victory, until one question stopped him dead in his tracks.

"So is Tenten an idiot then?" His Hyuga brain was tempted to reply with 'yes', but the logical side, the _Neji_ brain told him that Gaara was incorrect. Tenten was a passionate warrior, one who defended her teammates with the utmost honour, and even without a clan, she had a greater family than the Hyugas could ever dream to achieve. What drove him to think his, he had no idea, so he continued to walk away, deep in his thoughts.

* * *

A slow, drawn out, hissing sound cut through the air like the sharpest blade through blocks of wood. It reverberated through the air, surrounding his senses with snake-like hissing. Only, it wasn't just a snake - it was something...more ominous. Huge. Terrifying.

He was considered to be the bravest in his field, and the most skilled. Yet, years of experience could not have trained him to expect what was coming for him.

Slitted eyes glinted malevolently. The first pawn on the chessboard surged forward.

* * *

Principal Tsunade tiredly made her way to Yakiniku Q for the final dinner before the Tournament ( _AKA, one more week's worth of stress_ ). The mysterious disappearances of several ANBU agents, and their even-more-mysterious reappearances had been bugging both her and the council for days. She was almost certain that Orochimaru was tied to these cases - he was always so obvious and overdramatic with his methods. She knew that he wanted inside information on the city's movements, and what better way that to manipulate the underground workers themselves? Only, the council wasn't convinced with her conclusion. There was simply no motive behind his actions, not that they bothered to look into it anyway.

_Their_ conclusion was that Jiraiya's sources were incorrect, ' _after all, what would a bunch of sacred frogs know about the lives of humans?_ ' She wanted to punch them in the gut right then and there, more so than usual anyway. Even with his perverted, and dishonourable life choices, there was one thing she always relied on when it came to him. _After all_ , he wasn't one of the three Legendary Sannin for nothing.

Tsunade sighed. Her worries would have to wait. Pasting on her charming smile, Tsunade stepped into the restaurant and was immediately greeted by a plethora of lights, cameras and action.

Her team stood to her left at the long, lavishly decorated table. She genuinely beamed at them, proud of their physical growth. The force of Sakura's strength and Neji's shields have increased tenfold, and Kiba and Hinata's control over their respective aspects blossomed over the course of a week. That being said, Rock Lee and Naruto's abilities were still enigmas to her. On one hand, Rock Lee continued to display speedier combat skills but lacked visual improvement elsewhere, while Naruto's training was so mixed up that she had no idea where to look. Even Shikamaru, the resident lazy genius had displayed more improvement than Naruto. She hoped this would change _during_ the Tournament, or possibly before it.

To her right stood the fiercely sassy Sunagakure team, clad in uniformly sleek black outfits and heavy make up. They were so unique and tremendously in-sync that it was ridiculous. There were of course some initial hick ups, mainly conflict between Tenten and Ino, but their prowess was extraordinarily advanced. While her team showed signs of remarkable improvement, some members of Suna's team discovered new abilities entirely. She was impressed to say the least, and intimidated at the same time. Most Gensho only had one ability for most of their lifespan. The redeeming feature of her team - one among many - was that they were harmonious and worked as a family, while the other team seemed to be based on rigid structure and organisation.

She shook off her thoughts for the second time that night and brought the restaurant's attention to her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending this event tonight," she grinned charmingly at the crowd, "Now, you've witnessed their abilities firsthand, and their physical growth during their training regime. I'd like to credit Maito Gai, Hatake Kakashi and Sarutobi Asuma for their extensive efforts, and the committee for allowing such a profound event to take place." Clapping resounded through the room after her statement. "I know you're all famished, so I'll finish this off quickly. In two days time we will _finally_ begin the Tournament's events. In two days time, everyone in this room, in this city, in _all_ cities, will watch these fourteen participants battle for their country. May the best, most honourable team, win."

* * *

"My bets are on Pinkhead. What about you?" Temari asked, leaning over to Tenten. Tenten grimaced.

"Seriously? I was banking on Naruto. They have _much_ more chemistry together." Kankurou joined in on the conversation, laughing boisterously.

"Rock Lee, hands down. They will _not_ stop fighting."

Gaara glared at them from the other side of the table. "We are at a respectable diner, and all you're talking about is Sasuke's potential soulmate? Isn't there something else you fools could be talking about? The impending events, perhaps? We need to figure out a strateg-"

Temari cut off her younger brother, waving away his words. " _Two_ days, Gaara. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Besides, I'm rather looking forward to this scrumptious piece of meat."

Sai sniggered, an unusual action for him. His teammates all glanced over at him curiously. "You mean Kakashi?" Temari went the colour of Sasuke's soup. "I saw you sneaking off with him the other night. Wasn't that you?"

Ino and Kankurou roared while Sasuke grinned wolfishly at Temari. "Getting cozy, Temari?"

She barked at her team to _Shut up!_ and fumed at her seat while they continued to laugh. Tenten merrily grabbed a piece of meat from the barbeque grill, only to find another pair of chopsticks on the same piece. She looked up and saw the pale white face of Hyuga Neji. Contrary to their attitudes to each other as of late, she left little hostility on this certain day.

So she smiled.

And he looked like a five year-old who receive his first sticker in class.

 


	14. Chapter 14

There was something therapeutic about soaking in a hot tub, especially after a week's worth of brutal training. _Desert Rose_ , her favourite scent, wafted through the air and filled her nostrils. She slowly let the troubles that plagued her mind drift away as her work-hardened muscles melted underneath the water. It was just her and the steamy environment surrounding her. Temari allowed a content sigh to escape her mouth as she sunk lower into the water.

Tomorrow morning, she'd gather up her team and discuss their strategy together. They didn't need 'spunk' in the battlefield, and the nicknames were unnecessary, however hilarious they were to her. Spikehead, Sockpuppets, and Lovey were the ones given to her little family trio, and she _loved_ hers. Though, she wouldn't be letting go of Lovey - his tattoo _was_ ridiculous. Sasuke and Sai, the resident jerkheads, dubbed themselves Thing 1 and Thing 2; it saved them the trouble of having embarrassing nicknames, while still being able to pull them off. Buns was her personal favourite, while the owner thought otherwise, and if it wasn't obvious before then Sai's reverence of Ino's beauty was clear for all to hear. _Goddess_.

In all honesty, Temari loved her little band of misfits. They'd all banded together for different reasons, but shared the same goal - a family, however makeshift it was. Temari, Kankurou and Gaara were the first, being siblings and the Kazekage's puppets, then came Sai after they rescued him from a bunch of bullies. Artistic passion wasn't prized in the harsh climates of Suna, so the pasty-skinned artist was ostracised by his classmates before he even had a chance to make friends.

A moody and depressed Sasuke joined a year later, followed by Ino. They'd formed a strange, physical bond with each other, but after one night together as an experiment, decided to never cross the line again. Ino became slightly distant with the family after that, joining only for training sessions and the occasional gatherings. Sasuke, on the other hand, developed a whole heap of sass. It was as if they'd switched personalities.

The last to join the gang was Tenten, though it wasn't through a traumatic event at school or a sudden bonding experience like Sasuke and Ino. She was brought in by the Kazekage, who merrily handed her over to them and told them to 'get her ready for training'. Temari pitied her immediately - yet another pawn in her father's plans.

Tenten had always been beautifully strong to her. Suna's rigid societal structures went from the underground roots of the village to the very top tiers, so surviving in the village was both mentally and physically taxing. Thus, her orphaned status and subsequent outcasting from the peer groups was immediate. Temari would've intervened and forced the immature gits to pay for their actions, if it weren't for Tenten's backbone. She crushed those bullies with a swing of her metal arm and threatened to pummel them even further into the ground if they tried to ruin her again.

She supposed that was how Gaara became so attached to her in the first place. Of all the lost souls in their little gang, those two had the most traumatic pasts. A knock resounded on the dorm door. She sucked in a deep breath.

"NARUTO!" Qualities of being a wind manipulator: amplifying sounds was her forte. She heard the blonde boy stumble out of his room while muttering a string of colourful words.

"WHAT do you _want_ , woman?" She smirked into the steaming bathtub.

"Someone's at the door, idiot."

"Answer it yourself then!" She snorted loudly, making sure Naruto could hear it. "Come _on_! You've been in that tub for hours!" Temari sent blasts of steam out from underneath the door. She could hear Naruto choking on _Desert Rose_ as he mumbled out a begrudging "Fine, toad."

The spiky-haired blonde was in the process of relaxing back into the water when her door came crashing down, prompting her to conjure up thick puffs of steam to conceal her body. She threw on a bathrobe before turning to the perpetrator.

"Please tell me you won't keep making a habit of storming down doors with naked girls behind them. Tenten wouldn't stop ranting to me about it the other day." Sasuke gave her a cheeky smirk.

"You both have everything under control anyway."

She sighed. "Why are you even here? You should be getting some rest before the Tournament."

He looked solemn, for reasons unknown to her. "Likewise."

" _I_ ," Temari crossed her arms over her chest, donning an expression of mock-anger, "was having a _fan-tas-tic_ rest before you blew my door down. Ever heard of knocking?"

"'Mari, what if something goes wrong?" Sasuke's sudden sincerity shocked her, although she didn't show it. She was briefly reminded of their younger days, when Sasuke was gloomier and much more pessimistic.

"What do you mean?" He was starting to worry her; a worried Sasuke was never a good Sasuke. Temari placed a comforting hand on his shoulder - they'd never been the hugging type, and this was as far as she would get with her affections. "ChiChi, you know you can tell me anything."

Sasuke nodded at his old nickname, not bothering to lash out at his dislike of it. Should he tell her about the Akatsuki cloak, or was it all just an elaborate prank to scare any foolish teenagers? He opted to smile at his leader and first sister instead.

"It's nothing, probably just the nerves."

* * *

Hyuga Hinata found herself beside her mother's grave again, decorating its exterior with delicate peonies and wildflowers. She twirled her hands twice, signalling the flowers to curl around her mother's portrait. Satisfied with her work, Hinata kneeled down in front of her mother, careful not to get her black gown wet.

"I'm back, mother." The portrait smiled back at her. "Our tournament's in two days. Father has been supervising over my training, and he looks proud. I've even lost my stutter!" She beamed at the portrait, despite knowing that she'd never receive a response. Still, talking to her mother helped her de-stress. The Hyuga female had always been the strict clan's beacon of light, with her exquisite beauty and sunny personality. Even the clan elders treated her nicely, something very much uncommon with the old crones.

Everyone had mourned her untimely death.

"I'll help Konoha win this Tournament, mother. To make you proud. To make Father proud."

"What about yourself?" She let out a high-pitched squeal, throwing her arms up in the air. Grass shoots shot out from her direction, clamping the intruder onto the lawn within a split second. Hinata chided herself for not being more aware of her surroundings; it was a Hyuga golden rule. She looked at the intruder's face, immediately releasing him when she saw his shocked features.

"Naruto-kun! I-I am so s-sorry!" She chided herself on allowing her stutter to return again. She gently stroked his back while he lay coughing on all fours, gagging out reassurances at the same time. "S-sorry!" Naruto stopped hacking out grass shoots and turned to her angrily.

"Stop saying you're sorry!" he shouted. Hinata recoiled in shock. "Are you going to keep apologising to everyone for everything? You have nothing to be sorry about!" Hinata was still paralysed in her position on the ground. Naruto was _yelling_ at her. Granted, Naruto had always found a way to yell at people in one way or another, but never at _her_. Naruto glared into her frightened eyes and sighed, softening his gaze. "That was a kickass move, Hinata. You really need to stop being so mean to yourself."

She nodded once, twice, then slowly smiled at him. She rarely heard praise from anyone other than her trainers, even then they were at a point of exasperation most of the time. Hearing compliments from Naruto always made her day.

"Thank you, N-Naruto-kun." The blue-eyed boy grinned from ear to ear, hoisting her up as he stood. "May I ask...why are you here?"

"Just...visiting. Your mum was a pretty cool lady, _'ttebayo_." Hinata suddenly remembered the last time she visited her mother's grave with Naruto, when he'd been intending to call her back to the Hokage Monument.

"Naruto-kun, how do you know my mother?" Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oh yeah! I was meaning to tell you that. She used to come over to my place after my parents...you know. I remember her bringing me food and putting me to bed most nights for a few months. She was even pregnant later on! I was so happy for her, told her I'd finally be getting a little sister, _dattebayo_." Hinata gazed at him in amazement. Hinata recalled her mother putting her to bed every night as well, she was like a superwoman.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. She stopped visiting after midway through her pregnancy. I got a note from her a few months later saying that I was like the son she never had, and never will have. I didn't understand much at the time - just thought she'd be back to show me a new sister. She was like a mum to me, you know?" He caught sight of Hinata's downcast gaze. He reeled her in for a hug, enveloping her as she gasped in surprise.

"Guess that's one more thing we have in common."

* * *

Tenten sat in the dining hall by herself, loading massive cargo of steak and rice into her mouth as she pondered over what would happen during the Tournament. From what she heard from past competitors, it seemed like a formidable arena, with booby traps and genuinely deadly creatures littered all over it. They would be pitted against each other, team by team, until one of them retrieved a certain object from its location and bought it back to the base. It seemed easy enough, hearing it from their lips, but they'd all had haunted looks in their eyes when they recounted their journeys.

She was scared, frightened, and a tad bit excited. This was what Team Suna had been training for since their little family formed, courtesy of the Kazekage. Tenten felt a new presence across from her, settling down his plate and joining her food safari. They shared a brief nod of acknowledgement.

"Hyuga."

"Tenten."

They ate in an awkward silence for a few minutes. It was a miraculous feat, given their track record of screeching their lungs out whenever they saw each other. Their silence was an improvement. But she hated silence.

"So..." He glanced up from his plate, raising an eyebrow. "Looking forward to the Tournament?"

He shrugged in a very un-Hyuga-like way. "Fate will dictate what will happen during the Tournament. I just need to play my part."

She held his gaze for five seconds before looking away, smirking.

"What?"

"You're boring." Neji scoffed.

"I do not appreciate being insulted to my face, Tenten. Now if you'll exc-"

"Chill, Hyuga. I'm just kidding around. Loosen up a little - you'll be surprised how much better life is when you're not so wound up."

"I am not-" He cut himself off when he realised the futility of arguing with Tenten. She could chatter away about 'chilling' all she liked, but he was not going to stand for her judgement. Neji made a move to leave the table, but Tenten seized his arm before he could leave.

"Look, Hyuga. I'm sorry." Neji sat back down, icy white pupils softening their withering glare. "I shouldn't have judged you so quickly, alright?" When he made no move to respond, she felt her anger flare up. "Hey, I'm not the only asshole in this situation! You've been a jerk to me for the past _week_ , and for no reason! I've only defended my friends and fought for my team, yet you're just throwing hissy fits down the hallways like I'm the bane of your existence!"

"I do not throw hissy fits." It was her turn to send him a withering glare. Neji had to admit, his honour-bound brain thought her glaring was on par with his uncle's.

"And on the tour day as well! You see me with a random cloak and you just rush in to beat my into the wall! I was just hiding it from the public! You call me out for being irrational, and here you are having a tantrum just because I told you to _chill_. You're so wound up about everything! I'm serious, Hyuga, you _really_ need to let that steam out before you blow up. It could be dangerous for you, not to mention your health. Do you know what stress does to someone?" Neji sat in his seat, eyes widened. Had Tenten's rant just transformed from an enraged bashing to a doting lecture?

He wasn't used to being told to care for himself in that manner, normally it was because the clan demanded absolute perfection for his performances. But Tenten, _Tenten,_ was sitting here, yelling at him to care for his health and safety. For _him_. It was too novel.

"Tenten."

"And _Fate_? So Fate dictates your actions? What about you, Neji? What about fighting for your own freedom? Did you ever consider that?"

"Tenten!" She paused when he rose his voice, stunned by the sight in front of her. Neji was...smiling?

"What?"

"I'm sorry." Tenten reeled back.

"For what?"

"For everything. I should not have been so uncivilised towards you. You're right, it was foolish of me." She nodded, and their shared a brief smile.

"Still got that stick in your ass, though."

* * *

Ino strode into Tenten's room for their team meeting. It was strategy time, what with the Tournament being two days away, and they were all on an emotional high. She was the last one to arrive, as per usual. Temari had a whiteboard in the centre of the room, with each of their names drawn up. Sasuke and Gaara were sitting on the couches, both with intense expressions on their faces. Tenten was sitting on her bed with a blob of metal hovering above her hand, forming different shapes while listening to Temari's strategy intently. Kankurou was on the ground, steadily falling asleep. She rolled her eyes - it was stupid of him to go clubbing the night before. She sat next to Sai, who immediately drew her a luxurious armchair. She smiled sweetly at him.

"Alright team, I'm repeating this one last time. On the other team we have: force fields, superhuman abilities, cloning, empaths and a freakishly intelligent shadow guy. These are some kickass powers, people. According to the Principal, we'll be in a forest of some sorts, so my best bet would be that Hinata's their main girl. She's got the plants on her side. Watch out for Shikamaru as well, I wouldn't want to be in his way - the guy's a genius."

Tenten was the first to speak up. "Should we all split up?"

"No." Temari, Sasuke and Gaara said together. Sasuke led the explanation.

"We have three weapons specialists on our team: you, me and Sai. We can work together in a unit, with you and Sai crafting the weapons, but your metal and my lightning are otherwise useless, unless I electrocute a massive bear. Sai would be able to scout out areas with his mice, but we would be just that: an offense team. Temari can feel her way around with the air - it's everywhere, and we'd have a massive advantage that way. Kankurou's knowledge of poisons will be invaluable to us - for obvious reasons. Gaara and Ino are fantastic for scouting - she can feel presences and Gaara can sense movement on the sand. We have a working unit _together._ Separation would divide our abilities too extremely. We move like we always do," Sasuke stood up, "as a family."

Ino could've sworn she saw Temari tear up slightly. "Couldn't have said it better myself, Sasuke." Their wild-eyed leader faced the entire group with a gleeful grin on her face. She looked at Tenten and Ino.

"Let's not forget our secret weapons."


	15. Chapter 15

Temari had them all on a lockdown, of sorts, for the next day or so before the Tournament. In the day time, they exercised together, running five hundred laps around the training grounds without breaking a sweat. Gai would be proud of their determination - or ashamed that they didn't bother attempting to break his thousand-lap mileage.

The leader herself was more stressed about the advantage that the Konoha Team had over theirs. Clearly, they were all chosen for their compatible abilities with the forest. Two nature-oriented empaths, a skilled healer with the strength of a thousand gods, an intellectual shadow manipulator, two super humans, and an angsty force-field generator would easily be able to overpower them when it came to forest survival. Maybe, just maybe, the Suna Team could stand a chance against theirs - only because their training performances were considerably better. Or were they only playing dead fish before the Tournament actually began?

Tenten decided to spend more time in the Loft with Kakashi, under Ino and Temari's supervision. The Team had agreed that last minute training would be under each other's supervision, in case they needed to point out strengths or weaknesses.

"I don't know what happened. It was like a strange force just...propelled me forward." Kakashi was standing in front of her, back slouched, droopy eye slightly less droopy.

"And you're saying this has never happened before? A completely new ability?"

Temari stepped forward, placing her hand on Tenten's shoulder. "We have reason to believe that that is the case."

"My abilities were always limited to manipulating metals, and I can't really place that feeling anywhere into the metal category."

"Have you tried replicating it?" Tenten nodded in response.

"Several times. My initial thought was that it only came out when I was feeling desperate, or in extreme danger," Kakashi inclined his head, as though he held the same conclusion, "So I asked Sasuke to attack me with his sword, and Temari to surround me with tornadoes, and Gaara to bury me in the sand for a few minutes."

He raised an eyebrow, "And?"

Her head dropped down slightly. "None of them worked. I ended up going to my armour as a defence mechanism, no matter how hard I tried to...do it again."

There was a few minutes of silence before he spoke up again. "Perhaps it's _because_ you're trying too hard." He paused to take in their confused expressions, "From what I witnessed in that arena, and what you've described, Tenten, it was a defence mechanism that only kicked in when you were extremely desperate. I'm almost certain that was the case. What I mean by trying too hard is that you were attempting to unlock a dormant ability by forcing it out. That won't work - if you want to find it, and control it, I suggest you do it after the Tournament concludes. No Gensho, no matter how adept, can master an ability within the space of a few days."

Tenten frowned. "I know that. We all know that." She threw an arm back to her teammates to illustrate her point. "It took me years to learn how to move around a blob of metal without it piercing my skin! I don't want to - I know I can't - master this new _thing_ I have before the Tournament, but maybe a few tips and tricks could help ease my journey a little. Ino needs this as much as I do, as well."

Her teammates nodded enthusiastically, "If anyone can help, sir, it's you."

He sighed through his face covering. "Alright. I suggest that you both put this thought on hold for the time being, and focus on what you've already mastered. Like Kurenai says, meditate every now and then; make sure you're relaxed and have lots of sleep. If you walk into the Forest of Death with sleep deprivation, you're as good as dead - pun unintended."

Kakashi smiled at them from behind his mask, the corner of his visible eye wrinkled up. "Try not to be overwhelmed by the scenery, either. Sometimes, all you need is a little light to guide your way through the dark." They thanked him politely, feeling a little confused with his words. "Well, get out. Relax. Don't over-stress, bulk up, et cetera. We'll see each other in a few days time."

* * *

Gaara stumbled into Tenten's room clumsily, and was regarded by several quirked eyebrows.

"I just finished refilling my gourd," he stated, as though it explained his uncharacteristic behaviour. Tenten laughed as he planted himself beside her on the floor. Temari had called them in for another group meditating session (Tenten's room was the only one available that didn't reek of male body odour.) in an attempt to make them "relax and find your inner strength" before entering the battle grounds.

"She can't seem to grasp the meaning of peaceful meditation," Tenten whispered to Gaara, who was watching his sister sit cross-legged on the ground with the ferocity of a hundred hungry tigers.

"It's never really been her...forte, wind-storm personification that she is."

"You don't say?" Tenten chuckled quietly before facing forward and closing her eyes again. The red-haired boy stared. Her hair, a rich, chestnut brown, was tied up into a ponytail for the first time in years (Early on in their friendship, Tented decided that twin buns was the most practical hairstyle.); bangs were left out to frame the sides of her delicate face, which was serene as she breathed in and out.

Gaara heard a smug smirk in front of him and looked up to Tenten's bed, where Sasuke was meditating.

"Time's up for you, Tennie. Take a break." The brunette nodded and pushed herself off the ground. Gaara suddenly became transfixed with the way her tattoos were so smoothly drawn onto her arms, resembling the delicate brushstrokes of a calligrapher.

Sasuke snorted again, when Tenten left the room. He returned Gaara's immediate glare with a cheeky glint to his eye, mouthing the words: _I love you too_. A wad of sand whacked the underside of the Uchiha's crudely-gelled hair. "Ow!" He retaliated by zapping Gaara's hair. The clumps of red shot up into an upright position.

"Son of a-"

They were both assaulted with blasts of air coming from Temari's direction. "Which _part_ of peaceful meditation do you two _numbskulls_ don't understand?"

Sasuke pointed an accusatory finger at Gaara impishly. "He started it!" Temari stalked over to where they sat angrily, picking them both up by their ears.

Quite literally throwing them out of the room, she slammed the door in their faces and screeched, "This is an all-girl zone, now ("Wait, what?")! Shut it, Kankurou! If either of you so much as step foot in here again, I'll send you back to dad." The sound of a lock clicking finalised her words, and was followed by a stomping sound away from the door.

It was highly comical to Gaara, the way Sasuke attempted to continue his onslaught of teasing - this time by kissing the air several times in front of him. His ear was still throbbing and red from where Temari's iron grip squeezed it, right after he'd made fun of Gaara for oglin-no, making sure Tenten was physically safe.

Scratch that, Gaara mused to himself while pushing Sasuke backwards, he was still livid.

* * *

Neji found himself at the compound for the first time since the other team arrived in Konoha. No doubt he was going to be grilled for making his presence scarce in the household. He straightened his robes and gritted his teeth. The faster he did this, the sooner he'd be able to walk out.

Hinata met him under a willow tree in their courtyard, sending him a meek smile.

"Good morning, Neji-nii, I trust you have slept well?" He nodded, registering the lack of stutter in her voice.

"Thank you, Hinata-sama." They strode with a hastened pace down the series of corridors and hallways that was the Hyuga Compound. Admittedly, Neji had grown used to the blaring, bold colours of the Gensho accommodations. Seeing a vast expanse of white, to his surprise, no longer brought him the same calm and comfort that it used to.

Nevertheless, he made his way around the labyrinth with practiced ease, only speaking to Hinata to respond to her questions. Receptiveness wasn't one of his defining traits, but today he was more on edge than usual, something Hinata took notice of and let be. He was thankful for the silence.

"Nii-san, I part ways with you here." She bowed slightly to him, smile evident on her face. They were never this formal in public, but scrutiny was ever-present if you lived in the Compound.

So he bowed back deeply, dutifully. "Yes, goodbye." He continued on his way while Hinata crept into her father's office. His destination was a mere hallway away from hers, and he was dreading the meeting more and more with each step.

"Ah, Neji! How good of you to come!" The saccharine sweetness of an all-too-familiar voice spoke out behind him. He turned around as she stepped towards him, fluid grace of a princess and also very, very pregnant.

"Kyoko-chan," he bowed again, "I was summoned here by my father. Should you be walking around in your state?"

She patted her stomach merrily, laughing off Neji's concern. "The baby will be strong, just like you and his father." He made no move to smile with her. "Would you like to accompany for the rest of the way?"

Knowing fully well that he no other choice but to agree, he nodded and held his arm out to steady her. Cold as though he may be, a baby was faultless an innocent. The clan would frown at him if he refused her offer.

She continued talking about the baby, squealing with glee when she felt a kick. He merely nodded and made necessary contributions to the conversation. "He is a wonderful man, Neji: so providing and so kind. You are lucky to have him as your father, and this little one will be too."

Neji clenched his jaw, coolly reminding himself that she was hardly at fault - Hizashi was a very different man before he married her. He announced his presence at his fathers study, ignoring the way Kyoko burst into the room explosively.

"Ah, Kyoko, Neji, my boy." A man stood before Neji, with the same face, and the same ram-rod straight posture. The man named Hyuga Hizashi beamed at his pregnant wife. "My boys. Please rest, my dear wife! You make me worry when you walk around so freely, and so close to your date."

Neji chose to tune out of their conversation and stared impassively at the wall behind them. He would not join in to the family who had abandoned him when he needed them most.

Kyoko left the room with a flourish, kissing both of Neji's cheeks affectionately ("Don't be a stranger, honey, you're a part of this family."). Hizashi finally focused his attention on his first son.

"Come here, son." He obeyed quietly, kneeling down when Hizashi signalled him to. "I wanted to bestow upon you an ancestral gift, for your hard work. And," he smiled down at Neji, who did not return it, "For making me proud of you."

"Thank you, Hizashi-san, I feel honoured." His father handed him an ornate dagger, as polished as his appearance.

"There's no need for such formalities, Neji, you are, and have always been, my most beloved child." Neji averted his gaze to the wall behind Hizashi. "Look at me, son," his father placed two hands on both of his shoulders, "I know that I have not been the most honourable man in your life thus far. But believe me when I say that I love you, and that I am so very sorry for abandoning you for so long. Do you forgive me?"

Neji suddenly wanted to scream at him for assuming that ten long years of solitude and metaphorically leaving him to the wolves could be easily remedied with a spur of the moment apology. He wanted to yell at the the man before him for becoming a shell of the father he once knew, the one who once put the love he had for Neji and his mother before anything else, even his putrid responsibilities to the clan.

But then he took in the bags under Hizashi's eyes, darker than the last time he saw him, and the strange frailty with which he held Neji's shoulders. His father had always been, for lack of a stronger word, godly to him - always standing by his brother in combat and in political matters. The fatigued Hizashi presented before him was, shockingly, human. Neji's rage faltered.

"Hizashi, fool, do not give out apologies where they are undue. He should have worked harder to gain your approval." Hiashi announced his presence at the door, striding in with Hinata meekly following behind him. "Do not steer off the track of what needs to be said and done."

The younger brother sighed. "Ah yes, forgive me for forgetting our purpose." Hinata moved to stand beside her cousin. "Neji, son, we are aware of the imminence of the Tournament."

"Indeed, and are confident that Konohagakure's team will achieve victory with you as their leader; a role befitting of a member of the Hyuga clan." His uncle stood next to his father, arrogance radiating off him in waves. "However, your accomplishments mean little to the clan, internally, despite the wonders you have done to our reputation in recent years."

Sensing Neji's subtle anger from Hiashi's insult, Hizashi stepped in. "What your uncle is trying to say is that you still have a duty to fulfil towards the clan itself: protect Hinata-sama, with your life if you must."

"Yes," Hiashi interjected, "she is still weak in the way of the Gensho and has a shocking lack of fighting prowess. Being her bodyguard is to be your first priority, no matter what happens. Stop crying, Hinata, you're doing no service to yourself."

Hinata forcefully held her tears back, opting to stare at the ground instead.

"Nevertheless, we sincerely wish you the best of luck." Hiashi stepped out of the room, motioning for Hinata to follow him. She shuffled after him miserably.

"Neji," his father's strong countenance disappeared again, "the Tournament is known for its volatile environments. Keep yourself safe first, even before Lady Hinata herself." Neji reeled back in shock - had anyone else heard his father's words, Hizashi would have been punished for his verbal crime. He bowed deeply, instead.

"It's what your mother would want."

"Mother wanted very little, father, but what she did want was your love," he felt his carefully structured composure crack upon fixing his father a steely gaze, "Regardless of what you're trying to do now, I grew up without a father and learnt how to fight by defending myself from this clan we call 'family'." He turned towards the door and stormed out angrily. "Don't you ever try to speak for either of us two, whether we're dead or alive."

Hizashi made no move to chase after him, thankfully, but Hinata seemed to take hold of his arm a few minutes after he stormed out of his father's office.

"Neji-nii, please compose yourself." She leaned in closer to his ear when he forced himself out of her grip. "The clan is watching, don't screw everything up for yourself."

It was this change in her nature that made him pause for a few seconds, enough time to calm down.

"Escort me out of the compound, Neji-nii. It's time we regrouped with the team."

Translation: Let's go, neither of us can stand this place anymore.

He nodded.

* * *

Tenten officially hated the colour green, and would be throwing out any item of clothing in her wardrobe that was made of spandex.

Emphasis on "would be": Lee was downright determined to have bonding sessions with all Gensho contenders, regardless of their affiliations. Neji grumbled churlishly beside her.

"Quit being a potato, Hyuga. You dragged me into this." He glared at her.

"I did not."

"You so did," she huffed out. According to Lee and Gai-sensei, good group bonding was conducive to blossoming relations between allied countries, and therefore fertile training grounds for them to use. They'd both performed several hundred push-ups to make up for their "selfish ulterior training motives", followed by a hearty feast with a surprised duo - hence, Neji and Tenten. "Hey, why am I the only Suna person here? And, the only girl?" She looked over to Neji, whose face was adopting a lime-green colour while watching Lee swallow a gargantuan piece of meat. "Oh, wait."

He shot her a sour look as Rock Lee paused his lightning-fast munching to straighten his back. "Because! Sasuke-kun says that your buns are fantastic entertainers! I wanted to see them entertain with my own eyes!" Neji snorted.

"Did he?" She looked at the males around her venomously. "I'll have a talk to him about my _buns_ later."

"Hoho! How youthful indeed!" Gai sat down next to Lee, who'd resumed gnawing on his steak. "Remember to tie them in place once you're done, Tenten! Oh, Neji! What a pleasant surprise!"

"Indeed, sensei, I was just leaving." He practically leapt out of his seat to run away, but was held back by Tenten's grip. She pulled him down into his chair again.

"You're not ditching me, doll-face."

"Wouldn't dream of it, buns."

She leaned back in the wooden chair, arms crossed over her chest. It was a nice restaurant, now that she'd calmed down enough to observe her surroundings. The tables and chairs are a lovely carved mahogany wood, and the walls are a rich burgundy colour. The tables have plentiful room in between them, leaving more than enough room for the waiting staff to transport trolleys of food around the restaurant.

She heard Neji's baritone voice finally make a reappearance, and looked over at him to see what had happened. Tenten was startled when she saw a middle-aged man towering above them with a slight hint of annoyance on his stem features.

He was, presumably, a member of the Hyuga clan, based on the long black hair that flowed down his back and his clear eyes.

"I assure you, Hiashi-sama, Hinata-sama's well being is of crucial importance to me."

"Then why are you here, and not watching over her now? She could be in danger, for all we know." Hiashi glanced at the fellow Genshos seated around the table, finally settling his gaze on Tenten. "Stop fooling around, nephew."

Neji's jaw clenched ever so slightly. "Yes, my lord." He kept his head bowed down angrily as his uncle strode out with his attendants. Neji stalked out after him. Not wanting to be left behind with the energetic duo (who'd chosen to remain completely oblivious to the events that just transpired), she excused herself and left the restaurant.

"Hyuga!" He turned around when she called, and waited for her to catch up. "Hey, are you alright? You looked a little uncomfy back there."

"That's none of your business." She saw him pause to contemplate addressing her by her name, then roll his eyes and walk away. "Uncomfy isn't a word, Tenten."

She smiled, for some reason unknown to her. "Well, Neji," she responded, relishing the way his name oozed out of her tongue, "I doubt you've done your daily reading of the dictionary, because it is, in fact, a word."

He scoffed, smiling slightly. "In which one?"

"Mine." Tenten smirked.

"Good luck with that," he turned away. His shoulders were considerably looser, and the tension in his stance was gone, as if he'd been free of worries for his entire life. This surprised her.

She was accustomed to the ghostly pale tone of his skin and the frigidity with which he presented himself to others. Neji was an obscure entity to her, with a dark familial past she'd only become aware of a few moments ago. His nature fascinated her, despite the numerous other brooding males she surrounded herself with. Neji threw himself into challenges, welcomed them with open arms even, to propel himself further and further with each passing obstacle. His eyes contained an insatiable hunger in them, a thirst to prove himself to his oppressors, and an unidentifiable need to replace something...lost.

When he turned to look at her expectantly, she marvelled at the way the remaining light of the day illuminated his face. His pale skin glowed with a raw energy pulsating underneath, as though the sun rays suddenly brought him out of a deep slumber. She knew Neji was handsome, there was no doubt how well his aquiline features complemented each other, but there was something underneath his looks that drew her to him. It both scared and excited her to no end. His stress lines were more visible in the presence of light, and Tenten was struck by how insanely _human_ he suddenly looked - how the layers of hostility that finally melted away revealed someone who hoped and yearned like every other human being.

She smiled to herself, noting the way Neji looked at her in confusion and a slither of discomfort.

"Don't sweat, Hyuga, linguistic order still exists everywhere else." He rolled his eyes again.

"I hope so, lest we all fall under your disastrous rule." She laughed, punching him on the shoulder. He barely winced.

"Can't handle a bit of chaos, princess?" He sneered at her response playfully. They walked into the Academy's garden, which was littered with fallen autumn leaves the colour of the sunset.

"Chaos is my middle name."

She snickered in disbelief, then guffawed at his best attempts to embody chaos: an upwards tilt of the chin and folded up sleeves. He grinned back at her before catching himself and smiling only slightly.

_Sometimes, all you need is a little light to guide your way through the darkness._


	16. Chapter 16

Tenten sniffed, pulling a waterproof jacket over her shoulders and fastening a pair of sturdy boots over her feet. The weather in the Tournament was supposedly mercurial, and preparation was something that both Temari and Gaara stressed over constantly. The morning was a solemn one, filled with a combination of heartfelt goodbyes, good lucks and competitive staring competitions.

Her temporary room had been stripped bare the night before; most of the other female competitors had congregated in their room too, for a girl's night in. They ended up falling asleep on the floor, barely zipped up in their sleeping bags and curled up against each another like sardines.

An indication of the excess stress and fatigue accumulated over one week alone.

Tenten greeted her captain at the front of the Academy with a cheerful salute. "Morning."

Temari only nodded, frantically going over the contents of her backpack with Sasuke checking off items as she read them out.

"Tenten," she barked suddenly, "did you pack your glob?"

She extracted a round metal ball from her bag and hummed in confirmation. All contestants were permitted to bring a single weapon of choice into the arena, as a way of displaying their full abilities. If the audience had thought they'd seen the extent of them during training, they were so very wrong.

Ino walked up to the group and smiled, waving a machete around in the air at Temari's sharp glance. The Sabaku patriarch made sure their abilities weren't limited to supernatural prowess.

"Where's Kanku-moron?"

"With Gaara - talking to Tsunade." The female Sabaku noticed Ino's questioning look. "He's our temporary diplomat's assistant, since Sasuke's helping me."

"Oh." She sheathed her weapon. The aforementioned duo floated by on a sand-platform.

"Are you all done?"

Tenten nodded when Temari didn't reply. "Where to now?"

Gaara calmly stepped off the platform while it disappeared into his gourd, sternly locking eyes with Tenten. "Forest of Death, in ten minutes."

The team lapsed into a contemplating silence. This was the day they'd been training for relentlessly since they were children. This was the Tournament that would determine the Kazekage's assessment of their abilities, but more so his children's. The other team had stronger, more compatible traits that would most definitely provide them with a leaping advantage - but they were sheltered, raised in an environment where living was more relevant than _surviving_.

If Suna was known for one thing, it was their sheer willpower against an opposing force.

"Well, team," Temari placed a hand on her hip, cocking it to the side, "Let's go out with a bang."

Being thrown blindfolded into a dark, gloomy forest definitely wasn't on Tenten's bucket list, but one needed to make lemonade out of lemons.

Their instructions were clear: find your teammates, find the unlabelled object that would take them to the next stage, and fight. It all seemed so easy at the time.

She threw her head back to look above and was met with a gnarled canopy that barely filtered any light through it. Fashioning a platform out of her metal glob, she swiftly raced past the shrieking bats nesting in trees and thorny branches poking out at odd angles until she broke through the inhibitory barrier separating her from the sun.

Only, there was no sun. It was the moon. Had time passed that quickly already? It'd only been the crack of dawn when they'd congregated in a cabin just outside the forest.

Even then, the principal had only clipped out brief instructions and blindfolded them. She could still feel Neji's piercing gaze on her, even through the impenetrable black sheets over their eyes. It'd sent shivers down her spine.

Tenten hovered around the canopy aimlessly. She enjoyed being around Team Konoha's leader - he was relatable, yet resembled the rigidity of Suna that both drew her in and repelled her. She missed home, that was all. That was all he was: a reminder of home. It was all so screwed up.

The brunette scowled. Why was she thinking about him now, of all times? Her objective was to find her team, and win the Tournament. They operated as a group, a family, and swooning over a rival team's leader would get her nowhere.

She swooped downwards. There would be time for romantic feelings later.

A sudden jolt in Tenten's mind paused her in her tracks. It eased into a slower throbbing in her head, and eventually a voice began trickling in. " _Tenten_?"

Ino?

" _O_ _h thank god. Where are you_?"

Tenten looked around her; shrubs and mangled trees as far as the eye could see.

No idea, can you meet me up top?

She waited impatiently for the blonde's response, but none came. Tenten jetted up to her previous position regardless. If Ino didn't receive her message, she'd find another way to locate the team.

She snarled when a hand seized her mid-flight, sending a sharp blade towards the perpetrator's arm. Tenten was met with a cloud of sand instead of blood, even though the blade had met her purpose perfectly.

"Gaara?"

His clone glared at her in response, rearranging it's limbs at the same time. He turned away and flew forwards on his platform, beckoning for her to follow.

They reached a tower after a few minutes. It was peculiar, like a shining beacon of light in the dark. Ino rushed out of the building and waved them down.

"You're here! Good. Come inside." Her usual lengthy flourish was plaited into an up-do, most likely for convenience. Tenten followed her, knowing fully well that Gaara was also inside, since his clone had exploded in a swarm of sand.

Sure enough, he and his siblings greeted her warmly in the centre of the room. There were four cans in front of them - probably their dinner.

"Here," Kankurou handed them over to Tenten, "more metal for you."

She grinned. "Thanks. Where's everyone else?"

"Sasuke and Sai are..." Ino bites her lip. "We don't know."

Tenten blanched for a split second before shrugging. "They're dramatic enough to signal their presence sooner or later. You can't reach them?" Ino shook her head.

"They're out of my range."

"We'll set up camp here for the night," Temari said firmly. "I'll take the first watch, we'll rotate in two hours."

Tenten murmured in agreement, settling herself on the ground with the others. The daytime would be a more opportune time to search for Sasuke and Sai, but in the meantime, they'd be more than capable of taking care of themselves.

Taking a rest, however, was easier said than done, and two hours passed by like the slow trickling of fresh honey. Gaara's shift was next; he calmly planted himself beside her.

"You worried?"

The boy blinked emotionlessly, as though worrying about Sasuke wa the last thing on his mind. And to be honest, it most likely was. "No."

Tenten watched him remove his gourd and stretch out his muscles. "They'll be fine."

He grimaced. "It's not them I'm worried about," he circled his sand around the group with a swish of his hand, "we can't use this as our hideout forever. It's a damned tower in the middle of a forest."

Tenten nodded serenely. "We only need to locate the object for now, so it's inevitable that we'll have to move." She closed her eyes sleepily, relishing in the peace Gaara brought with his presence. He was a constant, someone who'd understood her loneliness at a time few others tried.

And then there was Neji, who drove her to the brink of insanity and then back, who understood her pain in a way Gaara did not, despite them all being orphans. While Gaara steadfastly stood by her side and supported her every decision, Neji was the one to elicit fury, and envy, from her. It was an attraction born out of pure hatred, and formed within the space of a week. Tenten despised that.

She cursed herself for thinking about romance again. Neither of them loved each other in that way and never would. She felt his gaze on her and opened her eyes, not missing the way his flickered away from her face. "Gaara." He inclined his head. "Wake me up for the next shift."

Tenten didn't wait for his response, curling up next to Temari instead. Day one of the Tournament, and the matter that should have been furthest from her mind was at the very front.

_There's no time_.

She whispered repeatedly to herself, steadily drifting off into a light slumber.

_There's no time._

* * *

The next morning brought a violent sandstorm that caged the entire team inside the building, and would have buried them alive were it not for Gaara's ability. He'd calmly manipulated the sand to circle around then instead of _over_ , and needless to say they were heavily thankful that he was on their team. They trudged up to the sand's surface through a tunnel Gaara fashioned, ignoring the way the heat seemed to rise as they moved further upwards. Kankurou was the first to collapse.

"These fucking backpacks," he muttered under his breath, "they get heavier and heavier." Temari whacked his head with her fan angrily, spitting out the sand that flew into her face with the movement. Gaara rolled his eyes and opened the tunnel up for more walking space.

"If you weren't wearing so many clothes, you _baka_ , you wouldn't be sweating as much."

So he stripped, folding his outer clothes into his backpack, and they all took a fraction of the supplies he was holding. Minutes later, they reached the top, and were greeted with the pleasant sight of Team Konoha holding Sasuke and Sai hostage. Hostage, meaning, tied up by vines and surrounded by visible shield. Temari hissed venomously.

"ASSHOLES," she screeched, revelling in their startled, almost frightened glances and running towards the rivalling team with a newfound ferocity. The sand sunk beneath her feet with each passing step, because even though sandy environments were their natural habitats (Tenten almost cried from the familiarity), there was nothing they could do about their physical limitations. Gaara lifted them off the ground with _his_ sand before grabbing Temari and shooting them towards the team menacingly.

Tenten saw Sasuke look up from his sitting position and smirk.

"Hate to break up the party, Konoha, Sakura," he winked at the pink-haired girl; she snarled, "but we need to get going now." The vines around him ruptured and disintegrated with a small flash of lightning that streaked upwards to the top of Neji's shield. It broke down; Neji hunched forward with an uncharacteristic display of pain. Tenten hated the sigh of relief that escaped from her lips when Sakura placed a glowing green hand over her leader.

"Kankurou," she barked out, "I need a distraction - pronto!" He nodded before jetting out streams of sandlily poison from his hands - not too deadly, enough to paralyse someone for an hour, but they were immune from living with it everyday. Tenten darted forward into yellow gas the moment Gaara lowered them onto the ground, forming a metal barrier around her team members, and hauling them away from Team Konoha.

Neji grabbed onto her hand after her metal was dispelled, even though he should've been flailing around uselessly like the rest of his team. _Drat, Byakugan._ She tried wrangling herself out of his grip fruitlessly, so met his white gaze defiantly.

"Don't trust him. Sasuke. He's hiding something."

She shook her head and laughed maniacally. "We both know about the cloak, Neji, now let go-"

"It's not the cloak!" she silenced her laughter at the crazed look in his eyes, "When we found him, he was inside a cave, talking to someone. He attacked us." Neji lowered his face to speak louder. The poisonous gas was finally getting to him. "Find out what it is."

"Tenten!" Sasuke and Temari called out to her from beyond the gas, no doubt looking on helplessly. Tenten shook her head at Neji again. This was the same boy who'd quite literally been with them every step of the way. If anything, Neji was trying to sow discord into her team. He was clever like that.

"You're trying to break my team apart. Why am I not surprised?" His expression fell, scrunching up when she aimed a knee at his stomach. Tenten was torn between apologising and running away; she chose the latter."Save your own team!"

Later, when they were all settled down on a gigantic branch, Tenten would notice a nasty red mark on Sasuke that revealed itself the moment his collar was lowered. She'd think back to Neji's warning, wonder if he was correct with his accusations, and dismiss it.

Team Suna sticks together 'til the very end, like a family.

* * *

_O supremi domini surgit, nam vos expecto_. _O supremi domini surgit, nam vos expecto._ _O supremi domini surgit, nam vos expecto._

Nine vessels lay beside each other, intricate runes in the shape of clouds etched into their bodies. The markings glowed, wriggling around the canvases of skin erratically. The bodies snapped, limbs bending at odd angles to cope with the pain, before crumbling into piles of dust.

Orochimaru threw his instruments to the ground, scooping up his experiments and caressing them. His life's research, null and void.

They called him a madman for playing around with the dead, for dissecting bodies and performing the deeds everyone wanted to, but didn't.

Stinking Konoha. Who cared about morality and justice, when endeavouring beyond the limits of man was so much more fulfilling? Hiruzen Sarutobi, definitely. But not him. Not Orochimaru.

He picked up his papers, gingerly scribbling over them, regrouping his mind. The very essence of science was experimentation and trial and error. He would try again.

If there was anything Orochimaru inherited from appreciated about his hometown, it was the will of fire.

_O supremi domini surgit, nam vos expecto._


	17. Chapter 17

Humanity always had a tendency to fascinate her. Tenten perched herself atop a tree branch and silently observed the events transpiring below.

Sakura was there, tending to an injured mouse she'd accidentally hurt on a power rampage after a brief sparring match with a rouge tiger. A flash of green, and a high-pitched squeal later, it was scurrying away into the surrounding bushes. Sakura sighed, brushing her long pink hair back into a new ponytail, then walked off. Tenten didn't bother following; Team Konoha was hiding out in the nearby cave. They were terribly uncreative, but then again, hiding in plain sight wasn't exactly ingenious either.

She felt Sasuke creep up beside her, feet resting daintily on the same branch. Tenten threw him a glare. "You're going to send us crashing down, idiot."

He chuckled. "Right. Ready to go?"

She looked back in the direction of the cave, which looked empty and desolate without the members of Team Konoha milling around in front of it like ants. "Yeah, let's go."

They made it back to their base, a new one, in a literal castle of sand in the middle of a clearing they'd found the previous day. She felt a rush of nostalgia when they were immediately attacked by a violent sandstorm and her arsenal of self-made weapons. It dispelled within seconds, right after she felt Ino's presence touch their minds, and they walked towards the building unscathed.

The Sand Siblings and Ino and Sai were sitting around a table, deep in thought, when she and Sasuke entered. Temari was the first to look up. "So?"

"Nothing new, they're still at the cave. I haven't been able to get inside, though."

"And the items?"

Sasuke spoke up. "Nothing important south of here, and there isn't anything near their hideout either. Safe to say, we won't be moving onto the next stage any time soon."

She leaned back into her seat, frustrated. "I don't get it. Why would they made a simple scroll so hard to find? All the previous years only took a day, at most, to find them! We're only on day three!" Ino scrunched up her eyebrows, then pressed her right index and middle finger to her temple; their heated discussion simmered down. When the blonde entered her Mode, as they called it, no one was allowed to speak.

It took a few moments for Ino to relax her expression and open her eyes.

"Well?" The Team looked at her expectantly. She gave them a weak smile.

"We have a lead. Team Konoha's - Hinata's - found something north-west of here, near the river. We haven't searched there yet, have we?"

Sai nodded in affirmation. "Not yet, that was scheduled for tomorrow."

"Well, how about we start now? I don't know about you, but I'm-" Gaara cut his sister off.

"How do we know this isn't just a trick?" Ever the sceptical Sand Sibling, he continued, "From what I've experienced in this Tournament so far, nothing in this arena is a coincidence. Sand storms are supposed to be impossible in a dense forest, and the encounter with a kangaroo that I had yesterday was even less likely. What if the organisers were just throwing that 'thing' into the river to hurl us into a trap? What if Team Konoha were aware that it was a trap?"

After a brief silence, "He has a point," Tenten spoke up, "it's almost impossible to differentiate between reality and fabrications in this Tournament. We need to tread lightly here, 'Mari."

Temari relented, eyes slowly losing their enthused shimmer. "Well, then, we have," her eyes squeezed shut, then reopened, "two options. One, is to leave it be. Two, we go investigate."

"Alternatively," Sasuke quipped, "we trail Team Konoha. Let them experience the trap first, if it is one. If it isn't, we take them down while they move back to their base."

"That is feasible," Temari nodded, impressed, "Manoeuvre Ten?"

"Seven," he corrected her, "we want to spread out on ground, canopy and sky. It gives them less of an escape route, and us more grounds to attack if we need to."

At this very moment, Tenten could have cared less about the rumours floating around about Sasuke from the opposing team, or the suspicions Temari shared with her while on patrol. He was their master strategist, their MVP, a diamond in the rough. So what if he was more ruthless than usual, so long as he fought with and alongside them, she was fine. Suna wasn't exactly the breeding ground for acute moral compasses and wholesome, patriotic citizens like Konoha was. They had to fight to survive.

"Right," Gaara conceded to his point, "Then I'll take to the skies, with Temari."

Sasuke nodded, "Sai and I will be up in the trees. Ino, Tenten, Kankurou, you three will be trailing behind them on land - you're the quickest, but make sure you cover up well. Especially you Ino, your hair's too bright." She sputtered, but offered no objections. "We'll depart at daybreak, and keep surveillance on their base until they depart. Ino, honey, make sure you cloak us as soon as we enter their radius, maybe by about twenty metres. I don't want to risk Hinata discovering us before then."

"What about our stuff?" Kankurou inquired practically, "All of our essentials are in here, and we still have a week or so before the Tournament ends. We've never really abandoned our supplies before."

Temari frowned. As much as they, including Tenten, wanted to ditch the heavy bags and travel light, it wasn't a viable choice. They all needed the supplies they had until they made it to the Final Battle. "Gaara, can you bury our stuff in a sand-ball? We can just leave our things behind underground while we're gone, then recover them later."

He rolled his green eyes at her. "I seem to recall warning you about the spontaneous and unpredictable event that is this Tournament, dearest sister."

"Hold your snark, guyliner." She rubbed her hands up against her temples, "I suppose we could just leave the supplies in here and take the most valuable items. I'm sure we can all survive without sleeping bags and cuts for a while."

"Yeah, if anything, we can just huddle against each other for warmth."

"I've read that on some occasions, warmth can be generated against naked skin. Might that be what you are suggesting, Buns?" Sai interjected, eyes innocently questioning her.

Tenten glared at him. "Call me that one more time, di-"

"Alright," Temari interrupted her, "Let's call it a night. Get some rest for the next few hours, night patrol will be the same routine. I'm out."

Temari and Ino clamoured away from the meeting table, stretching their arms out and slumping away into their rooms. Kankurou, Gaara and Sai followed, leaving her and Sasuke behind at the table.

"Tenten," Sasuke said quietly, "I want you to trail a bit further behind tomorrow."

"What, why?" She replied, genuinely curious, "We're a team, we move together. Like a family." Tenten smiled brightly, trying to offset his sombre expression.

"It's just that things might get a little...ugly."

"ChiChi," she smirked when he flinched, "I've been through worse than whatever will happen tomorrow. It takes more than a brutal fight scene to scare me away. You're worrying too much."

"I'm aware of your resilience," he smirked back, "it's your reaction to Neji that I'm worried about."

Tenten stiffened at That Name. "What?"

"You've always been a little more...unhinged...around him than anyone else. Not to say that you go insane, but my point is that you're not the battle-hardened Tenten that I know when he's here."

"If you're saying that I'm soft-"

"I'm not," he held up a placating hand, "You're not soft. You're tough, I know that better than anyone else. But, even if you can handle about ninety-nine percent of the obstacles that come your way, you've never had experience handling a Neji before."

"I think I can handle him in a fight, Sasuke."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it. Look, just," he took in a deep breath, "Okay, don't worry about trailing further behind. Just make sure that you keep a lid on your emotions when things start turning ugly tomorrow."

"Fine," she still felt mildly confused, "but you don't need to worry about my reactions - I'm a fighter. I fight, I don't agonise over my feelings."

Sasuke smiled, standing up from his sand-seat and pulling her into a hug. Tenten's eyes widened when she saw the angry red mark on his shoulder again; it was bigger, and pulsated more than it had a few days beforehand when she first saw it. His lips moved over to her ear, "I've always trusted you, Tennie."

He pulled away, and she noticed a strange glint in his eyes before he walked away to his room. "Wake me up when you finish your watch, alright?" She called out a brief 'yes', then moved towards the doorway and sat down.

Tenten lifted up a hand, pulling her circle of daggers upwards and pointing outwards, still mulling over the strange markings on Sasuke's shoulder. What the hell was it?

* * *

The Forest of Death decided to quit its relentless onslaught of wacky obstacles for the night, and Neji thanked it profusely in his mind.

His abdominal muscles were still hurting from where Sasuke struck down his shields and inadvertently his core, even though Sakura worked round the clock to remedy his pain. He felt pathetic, still being injured, when all he took was a slight power surge. Though, Tenten kneeing him in the exact same spot did not help either.

"Pathetic," he winced when he crouched down to scoop up firewood. It was only day three; this was ridiculous. Neji heard a twig snap behind him, and swivelled around with a hand outstretched. "Sakura."

"Neji," she replied, holding out her own, outstretched hand, and letting a soft, green light cover it. "I'm just checking up on you again." He let down his guard, then felt her hands prod his abdominal area softly. They hovered over the tight knot, eliciting an immediate hiss of pain. "Sorry."

"How is it?"

"Do you want the good news, or the bad news?"

"Any."

He heard her suck in a deep breath. "It's getting worse." She waited for the information to sink in before continuing. "I don't know how this is happening; you shouldn't be suffering so much!"

He lifted up his shirt to assess the damage himself, but was shocked to see nothing visibly threatening. "Why are you panicking so much? There's nothing here."

"It's _internal_ , Neji. Sasuke's done something to mess you up on the inside. _Fuck_ ," she ran a hand through her pink hair in frustration, "He's so _fucking_ low."

"On the contrary," Neji admitted, albeit begrudgingly, "He acted accordingly. Sabotage the opposition, and win. We would have done the same, too; we _were_ , before Team Suna came into the picture."

"Planting a _mole_ is different to planting a-a-whatever it is!"

It was silent for a minute. A few crows were cawing and gliding past them from above the canopy, forming a V-shape in the sky as they flew. "The good news?"

She perked up for a millisecond. "They totally fell for our trap. Hinata overheard them by chance, they're not very subtle with their noises. No doubt they're thinking that they have the upper-hand, with Ino as their telepath and all."

Neji nodded approvingly, firmly. "Good. We'll proceed as planned." He cut her off when she motioned towards his injury and opened her mouth in protest. "My personal injury should never interfere with the outcome of the Team. I joined this Tournament knowing full well that there were risks awaiting me on the other side of the door. Leave it be. I'll handle it."

He hurried off at breakneck speed towards the cave to avoid any more of her protests. Sakura was no push-over to authority, and he knew that she could pack a mean punch without even blinking an eyelash. They all slept around the fire that night, huddled together for warmth and taking turns to patrol the area. Their natural compatibility was proving to be a blessed advantage towards them, but Neji was still cautious. Sooner or later, their Gensho abilities would run out of their usefulness and they'd be put on the same playing field, if not worse, as the other team.

Neji tossed and turned, partly because of his racing thoughts, and partly because his insides felt as though they were being eaten up, and woke up feeling disoriented. Six other faces were looking down at him in concern.

"Perha-a-ps," Hinata stuttered out, "We should j-just-"

"No," Neji asserted, "Don't mind me. I'll be fine." They seemed as convinced by his words as he sounded - and looked, going by the thin sheen of sweat covering his forehead - but kept their words to themselves when they trekked out of the cave, through the trees and the undergrowth and atop the piles of guano and faeces lying on the forest floor. Naruto and Lee were smart enough to keep quiet, for once, thank Kami, because he was in a foul mood.

Kiba appeared to be turning greener and greener by the second; having a stronger nose than the average human being seemed to be his disadvantage in this situation. Neji heard the tell-tale gushing of their river, and held out a hand to stop the group's movements. They stilled, drawing in their breaths.

There it was, the white object. Neither he nor the other members had gotten close enough to it to pinpoint what exactly it was, and there had been a good reason for that too. The area was riddled the brim with booby traps. There was no way that this was a trap set up by the Tournament organisers, it was too blaringly obvious. He waited some more, ears and eyes peeled for any signs of movement. Team Suna should be here by now, if Ino had fallen for the trap accordingly.

The birds stopped tweeting. Ah.

He turned his head around slightly, caught their eyes, saw the resounding nods signalling that they were _aware_ , then silently set up a shield to surround his team. It buzzed into existence the moment he channelled his energy through the tips of his fingers, then swirled around them in shades of light blue until it became translucent as per his wishes. There was no point in setting up a shield when it was impossible to see through it, after all.

Shikamaru finally decided to speak up, after a good few days of silently keeping his thoughts to himself and only opening his mouth to complain about their predicament. "Boss. I got one." The boy's elongated shadow shortened rapidly, pulling in a screeching presence as it drew nearer to them. Tenten.

Oh, sweet victory. A smirk formed on his lips as he stood face to face with her, separated only by an invisible barrier.

"Tenten," he gloated when her face took on the colour of Sakura's hair, "You seem unsettled."

"Do I?"

"You're positively blushing."

She spat at him, widening her eyes when the water made contact with his shield and evaporated away with a hiss. "Fuck you."

"We were getting along so well, too."

Then he noticed how _noisy_ it was again. The birds were back. Tenten still looked like she wanted to pummel him into the ground.

"Hinata?" He looked at Kiba and his cousin, confirming the birds' return, then turned to Tenten again. "Where's your team?"

She scoffed. "None of your business, sugar-pie."

Neji conceded to that point; he wouldn't have told Team Suna anything either. "Then, that begs me to raise the question of why you are here, of all places."

"I was thinking of going for a swim; it's a nice day today."

"I agree, this sunshine is most pleasant."

"More than you could ever be."

"Good one," he responded flatly.

"I'm a natural, aren't I?"

"A natural topic-changer," he looped their conversation back to his Point, mostly because his team was starting to shoot daggers into his back for taking so long. "Shikamaru."

He'd always appreciated Shikamaru's intellect and ability to think steps ahead, and one of those moments occurred when he watched the shadow curl around Tenten's body. She smirked at him, specifically, before the shadow made its way over to gag her mouth. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

He lead the group towards the river, still maintaining the shield cautiously while Shikamaru held Tenten in his grasp. They threw sticks and stones at the white object, setting off tens of booby traps in the process, until Hinata deemed it trap-free. They all glanced at each other uncertainly; Hinata silently agreed to retrieve the object herself.

It was easy. Too easy. His cousin stepped out of the river and onto the dry ground, passing the object - a white scroll, miraculously dry - around until it reached Neji. He felt pleased, if not extremely apprehensive. Tenten seemed to be goading him towards her with her eyes. Team Konoha huddled away, wary of the brunette's calculating gaze. Neji stood, resolute, and examined the scroll in front of her.

"It seems that you've lost. Send my regards to the Kazekage."

"What do we do with her now?" The Team of seven continued to scrutinise Tenten as she hovered just outside of his force-field, eyes glinting in amusement. Neji sighed. Even as a hostage, Tenten still looked like she was having the time of her life. That seemed to be a 'thing' with Team Suna, now that he thought about it. Sasuke and Sai hadn't been the least bit worried when they were capture on day one.

Sasuke.

The sneaky scumbag. What was he doing inside that weird cave anyway?

Neji still felt the surge of electricity shooting up his spine and into his core whenever he recalled those moments, seeing Sasuke stand ram-rod straight in the middle of a dark cave with a blank sheet as a face.

He felt his teammates huddle around him and scream at each other urgently, and was faced with a harrowing thought: Sasuke was doing it again. Team Suna were here. Neji looked up, saw Tenten laughing, saw her teammates rush to her aid and surround the group with a thick sheet of sand and metal weapons.

Sasuke was standing beside Temari, looking extremely pleased.

"Told you it would work."

Temari didn't respond, only held her gaze with Neji while inching closer towards him. "Neji, you look wounded."

He clutched his stomach, keeling over in agony, but held the scroll tightly in his arms. Neji felt the Team surround him defensively.

"Back off."

"Oh," their leader replied mockingly, "I'm so scared." A sudden gust of wind nearly threw him backwards, were it not for Shikamaru's quick thinking. The shadows held him and the other members firmly to the ground. "You're good," she threw a quick peek at Shikamaru, "But it's all for nought now. Your little leader can't even protect you from us." Another bolt of lightning flashed around them. He heard a male scream.

Neji craned his neck upwards, then noticed how the walls around them were closing in, as were Team Suna, with their menacing auras and confident smirks. Tenten's brown eyes were the only ones that appeared to be ambivalent about the entire occurrence, but she stuck with her team as he'd expected she would.

Sakura charged forward, as did everyone else save for Shikamaru, the lazy ass, in what little space they had left. A metal knife was getting dangerously close to him when he realised that Shikamaru was curled up on the ground and holding his hands to his chest in agony. Neji froze, white eyes flitting back and forth between the scroll in his hand and his grievously-injured teammate.

_Konohagakure's team will achieve victory with you as their leader._

_I am proud of you._

Shikamaru screamed. Ino punched Sakura. Sakura wiped the blood away from her mouth. It smeared red all over her pale cheeks. Naruto, Lee and Kiba formed a triangle around him and Shikamaru, arms scorched a deep, charcoal black. Neji wanted to vomit from the putrid smell of cooked flesh. Hinata retreated.

"Neji-nii, get a hold of yourself!" She hoisted his body onto hers and held his chin up high. He watched his team get pummelled to the ground at a rapid pace. "Neji!" She was screaming. "You did not train your entire life for this to happen!"

He saw vines protruding from the ground when Hinata's _byakugan_ veins popped up, only to be swiftly cut down by lightning and metal and sand and wind. He saw Kankurou unleashing a vat of purple chemicals from his skin, thick droplets were oozing out of the pores. Why was this Tournament so messy?

Several Narutos were running around, swearing profanities and poofing out of existence as the weapons drew closer and closer.

_Slap_.

"NEJI!" Hinata screamed at him again. "Get OVER yourself and protect your _team!_ " A new vine curled around Shikamaru and covered his body for safety. More plants protruded from the ground, trying to push back the weapons and the sand, but uselessly. He jolted up, refusing to cringe from the excruciating twisting of his stomach and the blood he coughed out. He felt his vision blur, then sharpen rapidly. _Byakugan_.

A familiar, distant sensation came over him. The veins popped up at the sides of his temples, as he knew they would. He gave himself thirty more seconds until the bloodline technique would knock him out cold. Hinata grimaced wearily, holding on to his shoulder for support as he raised a hand. A small, blue sphere came out of it, slowly increasing in size until it was palm-sized - he was already panting from the effort - then shot it forwards, towards Ino. The blonde flew back from the impact, annoyingly stopped from spearing herself on the surrounding knives by Gaara's sand.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Three more spheres were launched at Kankurou, and his poison. Neji felt nauseous, his vision suddenly starting to decline. "Hinata," his lips, stained red, let out a raspy noise. "I-"

_Twenty_.

"Don't you dare give up," her teeth were clenched together as her arms shook from the effort taken to hold them off. Her eyes looked down at him, then to the scroll. They widened. "What is that?" He didn't hear her, only heard the piercing screams given off by Sakura and Naruto, the shouts from his friends, and the groans coming from Shikamaru's shelter. Neji grit his teeth; how could he have let this happen so easily? Why was his team being taken down so easily? What was the use in training night and day for this Tournament when their loss was already imminent three days into it?

"Open it!"

_Ten._

Neji felt flummoxed. He shot another - weaker - sphere at Tenten and looked at his cousin.

"What?"

She lunged towards the scroll, snatched it from his hands, and opened it without a moment's hesitation.

_One._

His head was immediately seized by a cataclysmic force, similar to the ones he'd experienced as a child, only worse. Neji felt the ground give way underneath him, literally, and was swept around like a rag doll until he hit solid ground again in a loud thump - all the while, searing pain cut into his eyes ruthlessly and mercilessly. He screamed.

"Hush," Neji heard a silky voice call out to him from above, seconds before he collapsed onto the ground in an unceremonious, unconscious heap. "You're safe now."


	18. Chapter 18

Neji, being the epitome of esteemed composure he was, awakened with a guttural groan before hacking out a mouthful of blood. He groaned, rolled over onto his side, and cracked open his eyelids. It took him a minute to adjust to the darkness, and the dim lamps handing off the walls barely helped with his predicament.

Dirt. Dirt, and gravel. And a dark, eerie cave.

Someone must have been around to hang up the lights.

He bolted upright, wincing when the subsequent pain shot through his abdominal muscles like a raging bullet. He'd forgotten about his never-healing injury.

The cave was silent, save for the heaving breaths of a few people lying beside him.

Wait. People.

He turned towards the noise slowly. It was Shikamaru, with his arm scorched and his skin still smelling like cooked flesh. The stench was putrid; he bit back the bile rising in his throat, then looked ahead and let it out.

"Neji?" He heard Tenten's voice whisper from the darkness. "Am I really that gross to you?"

She was grotesque. There were metal wings hanging off her shoulder blades, dripping in blood, and a few extra pairs of steel arms protruding from her sides. What had happened while he was out?

"No," he lied through his teeth, "I just felt a little sick."

"Right." His vision cleared, and she was back to the girl he'd known for a little over a week. "Well, do you know where we are?"

Confused, Neji blinked. Still normal. "A cavern, I believe."

"I got that much," she hissed, glaring at the stalactites hanging up above, "You're just as confused as I am, then."

"Shouldn't we be at the second stage?" He queried, realising that no one was going to congratulate them on passing anytime soon. Normally, based on past reports, the first thing that happened upon passing the first round of the Tournament was a terse round of applause and an informative chat on the next event.

This was a far cry from what Neji knew and heard of.

"That's what I thought," she replied, finally noticing Shikamaru's body lying in between them, "What happened to him?"

"Sasuke," he grit his teeth, suddenly feeling hostile, "Your team did this to him."

She appeared to have dismissed his statement in favour of emitting a high-pitched yelp. He hushed her. "Idiot, someone's going to catch us if you're too loud."

Her eyes were wild. "But _who_? Haven't you noticed that our Teams aren't even here?"

"Of course," he said brusquely. "I don't know who put us here. Or why."

"You willing to use that X-ray vision of yours then?"

He threw her a quick glare, then searched for the familiar rush of chakra that came when he whispered _byakugan_. Nothing. Neji tried again, but to no avail.

"I'm out. My chakra's gone."

"Oh. Shields?"

He closed his eyes, pinpointing the aches and sores littered throughout his body - internally and externally - and winced. "Maybe, but I doubt I can hold myself in a fight for a long period of time again."

Shikamaru let out another groan, before opening his eyes. He gasped for air, like a man thristing for water in the desert.

"Shikamaru?" He heard the shuffling of feet, and Tenten's worried cries. "You're awake, finally. How do you feel?"

"My arm," he said, after a brief period of panic, "I can't feel it. Why can't I- what." His eyes widened when he tilted his head to examine the scorched arm. There were no words, only a terrified, stunned silence.

Neji looked away, then stood up and readjusted his jacket. What he didn't anticipate, however, was Tenten's strangled groan.

"How-you too?"

"I beg your pardon?" He turned around, gaze accusatory, then stopped in his tracks when he saw the ashen colour of her face. "Is there a ghost behind me?"

Shikamaru was starting to scream, so Neji knelt down and tried to comfort his teammate. Tenten was still gaping at him. "A little help would be nice, Tenten. Do you know any first aid?"

"No," she shook herself out of her shock, "Nothing but bandaid care. But," Tenten waved a hand over Shikamaru's arm, "Maybe this might help. For now." A few metal pieces flew out of Tenten's pockets, as did the zipper from her jacket and some of the surrounding lamps from the walls. They melded into each other, spitting out a few choice lumps, then flattened and formed a cast around the burnt area of the arm. "That's all I can do for him, until he gets medical help."

"Will it do much?" Neji eyed the cast skeptically, but not ungratefully.

"Who knows?" She shrugged, smoothed out the hair around Shikamaru's forehead, then stood up. "I hope, for your sake, that you'll be fine, Shika."

The boy grunted, then tried to stand up. His legs shook uncontrollably.

"Stay here for now," Neji instructed. "We-"

"Neji," she interrupted, suddenly returning to her former look of horror, "why do you have that tattoo?"

"What?"

"Tattoo?" Shikamaru's eyes flickered to Neji's neck. "Or an elaborate hickey." His eyes shot to Tenten lazily, insinuatingly.

Amazing, his snark hasn't declined one bit.

Neji felt affronted. "People of the Hyuga clan do not waste their time dabbling in silly trinkets like tattoos, much less tarnish their skin with them."

"Have you looked at yourself?"

His eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Wordlessly, Tenten creeped towards him, her arm partially covered in a smooth sheet of metal, and held it up to his face. Neji scoffed, turned to the side where the alleged tattoo was, then looked back.

Nothing.

He felt a spike of anger shoot up his spine. "You're being ridiculous. There's nothing on my neck."

Now it was her and Shikamaru's turn to scoff. "You're either extremely delusional, or you actually can't see it."

"I don't get it." Tenten threw her arms into the air. Her hands landed on her own face as she proceeded to groan in frustration. "I don't get any of this."

"Tenten," Neji called out, having finished a scrutinising lap around the cave before checking back with them, "Y-your wings."

The monster from before swivelled its head around, peering at it's wings blankly. It shrugged at Shikamaru just as Neji moved to drag his teammate away.

"Neji?" It asked cautiously, moving towards him with all six of its arms spread out. "Are you okay?"

"GET BACK!"

"Neji?"

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO TENTEN?"

He was quivering against the cave wall now, standing in front of Shikamaru with his arms spread out in front of him.

The other boy was gazing at his leader questioningly. "Neji," he drawled out, "Calm down. You need to relax."

He knew Shikamaru tended to be overly-relaxed in the face of adversity, but this was taking it too far. "What happened to Tenten?" He demanded furiously at the monster, "Did you kill her for her powers? You BASTARD."

"Neji-"

All inhibitions lost, he flung himself at the monster, grasping at it's wings and kicking at the metal arms, ignoring the pain coursing through his body as he did so. Neji was met with thin air moments later, and found himself clawing at Tenten's armour.

"What?" He croaked out, and crawled off.

"Neji," Tenten peered back at him, metallic pupils shimmering under the dim torchlight. "What's going on?"

"It-y-you had _wings_. And _arms_. Six arms. What is-What?"

She and Shikamaru shared a covert look; something in their eyes flashed. Fear? Concern?

"Neji," Shikamaru spoke up, "There was no monster. We're the only ones here - wherever here is."

Tenten edged towards Neji hesitantly, still covered in metal, and reached out towards his face. He flinched when the cool metal made contact with his cheek.

"We're going to find out what's going on. I promise," she implored him to meet her gaze, which he did, after a while, then smiled. "When we get out of here, we'll help you, and we'll help Shikamaru. Just stay with us."

"I'm still with you," he said through gritted teeth, hating the way they looked at him, "I swear there was a monster here. I _saw_ it. You were a monster!"

She sighed, exasperated, and removed her hand. "N-"

"I'm not crazy! There was a monster there! You! What if you turn back into one again?"

He realised, after a few tries, that nothing he said would convince them to believe him, so Neji grit his teeth again. To his surprise, he felt the skin of Tenten's palm rest comfortingly against his cheek.

Neji lifted his head and saw her bare face in front of him. She smiled weakly. "Neji, I'm here. I'm Tenten. Tenten, the orphan, the girl you've been arguing with continuously for a week now. Not the entity with six arms and wings, okay? Nothing's going to change who or what I am. At least, not anytime soon," she added, as an afterthought, "In any case, even if I did become some kind of monster, I _definitely_ wouldn't grow three pairs of arms. That's plain gross. So, don't worry."

Neji smiled.

* * *

It wasn't until all three of them heard footsteps echoing in from the end of a dark passageway that Shikamaru deigned to extricate himself from the ground and hobble over to the far end of the cavern - of course, with the help of Neji and Tenten. They situated the weakened Gensho behind them, crouching into their battle stances, with their eyes scanning the darkness for any threats. If Tenten was being honest with herself, which she was, the only one physically capable of fighting at that moment was her, as she was the sole member of the trio yet to be cruelly electrocuted or mystically injured.

The situation was grim, even in her own thoughts. Seventeen years, plus one week of intense training, and it all boiled down to this very moment. She'd made peace with the fact that maybe, probably, they weren't in the bounds of the Tournament anymore. If they were, Shikamaru would've been sent away for intensive treatment, Neji wouldn't have Sasuke's tattoo on his neck, and she...she wouldn't be feeling this morbid. Whoever was watching them, if there was anyone anymore, they were doing a rotten job of protecting them.

Whatever. It wasn't like Tenten needed help to survive; she was a strong, independent woman who could probably kill a heavyweight wrestler with a plush doll if she needed to. That was what she told herself, over and over again, as the footfalls grew closer and closer towards them. She tried to disregard the sheer lack of metal in this cavern, most of which was used for Shikamaru's cast, and the heavy wheezes coming from the two boys beside her, and the evil cackling approaching them, and the hissing sounds that were steadily increasing in volume, and the growing sense of dread consuming her inner thoughts. Confidence was always the key to winning a battle - _but what about a war?_

"Who are you?" She managed to shout out, only to be met with hissing sounds. "Don't come any closer." Tenten was glad that her voice didn't come out as shaky and uncertain as she felt.

"Tenten," Neji breathed, "That tattoo you mentioned earlier?"

"Yeah?" They moved closer towards the wall. "What about it?"

"I think I can feel it?"

She swivelled towards Neji, shocked. Sure enough, there it was; glowing and growing and _throbbing_ as the hissing grew louder. "Does it hurt?"

"Like a bitch."

The hissing stopped. The tattoo's growth didn't.

"My, my," a predatory voice emerged from the shadows, followed by a pale-skinned man with matted, dark hair and snake-like eyes that gleamed at all three of them maliciously. "My mice have awoken."

"Mice?" Shikamaru grimaced. "Lame."

"Your tongue has no boundaries," Tenten scolded him, then promptly told him to "Shut your trap."

Neji, ever the task-master, ignored their ill-timed banter. "Orochimaru."

The snake-man allowed a flicker of surprise to pass across his pasty face. "And here I thought that I'd already disappeared into the pages of Konoha's history books."

"You haven't even warranted a mention, to be perfectly honest," Shikamaru drawled out, yet again making her send him a livid glare. He held up his free hand. "I'm not scared."

Tenten turned to face Orochimaru, feeling somewhat lost but not losing her defensive stance. "What do you want?"

"I can see how you two boys know of me," Orochimaru continued, "Most Leaf children should, if they were taught properly. But, you, girl," his shifted his focus to Tenten, "I'm surprised that you don't recognise me at all."

It was Shikamaru's and Neji's turn to share a covert look. "What?" She gawked.

" _My_ ," he grinned, flicking his fork-shaped tongue out at them, "How time heals."

"What is he talking about, Tenten?"

"Believe me, Neji, I'd tell you if I even knew."

Would she have? She'd only known this boy for a little over a week, during which he'd found out little about her but her name and school ranking. One week wasn't enough time to learn to confide in a stranger, especially if a secret involved this child-hunter here.

"You do, Tenten," Orochimaru's curiosity deepened, "But it seems that something, or some _one_ , has planted something into you. Something strong, something for you to forget." The whispers were coming back. "How very curious."

This guy was mad. Tenten growled. "I think I'd know if there were any gaps in my memory, snake-face. And, even if I did have any, it's none of your business. So, why don't you just crawl back to sunbathing on your sun rock and quit being a grade-A paedophile?"

"Your wit hasn't diminished in the slightest," he replied drily, "Aren't you curious about your heritage? Your origin? Why, at such a young age, you lost your parents?"

Her breathing faltered, as did the levitation of the small metal blob in her hand. "What would you do if I was?" She challenged, reorienting her stance.

"Tell you," the man said simply, "Withholding the truth is pointless; in fact, my life's work revolves around upholding the truth. _Science_ , children, science needs the truth to remove the veil that keeps mankind from _truly_ seeing the world."

"Great," her eyes flickered to an uncertain Shikamaru, whose eyelids were beginning to droop down in fatigue. They needed to get out, and get help, pronto. She deliberately, subtly, tapped Neji's foot with her own, and he nodded imperceptibly. Message received. "Well, I hope the truth doesn't sting you in the back. And, I think I can manage being ignorant for a little longer. Toodles."

With that, Tenten threw the little ball towards Orochimaru's skull, an action that effectively distracted the older man, and wrenched whatever rusted metal posts there were off the walls. There wasn't much, but she made do with enough of a sheeting plate to smash Orochimaru into the adjacent wall and pin him to the rocks.

"He came from there," Neji stated, hauling Shikamaru onto his shoulders, and pointed towards the tunnel, "There's definitely a way out."

Tenten nodded, retrieved her small ball, then rushed out behind Neji. The tunnel was dark, as expected, but filled with the hissing noises of what sounded like thousands of snakes. But where were they?

"Shika," she panted, "Can you figure out where these tunnels lead? With your shadow-magic?"

"Not magic, idiot," he murmured, "But yes, if I try."

"Can you do that? Like, _now_?" She whacked the top of his pineapple-spikes, which earned her a non-committal glare in response. "Sorry, we're kind of in a rush, in case you haven't noticed."

Neji snarled. "Communicate now, talk later. Shikamaru, you give me the directions, I'll be your legs - warn us about any obstacles. Tenten, prepare yourself for any form of attack - we need your skills to keep us afloat for now, so don't screw yourself up. No pressure," he added, in a more gentle tone.

Tenten was used to clipped orders, so she hummed in affirmation and stretched the ball out into a sharp, double-sided needle before covering herself in a metal suit. Safety, at last. Then, "Incoming boulder at four o'clock when you reach the end of this tunnel. Uh," he stammered when Neji growled at him, "In about ten metres."

They paused at the allotted distance, then heard the rumbling of a gigantic hunk of rock - not metal, unfortunately for her - rolling past them, and pushed forth. They continued in this manner, dodging obstacles and fighting off rabid animals or the occasional masked figure ("ANBU," Neji whispered, "Why?") until they all spotted a speck of light in the distance.

"Shika?"

"Don't get your hopes up," he squinted, "Not yet."

"Right."

"Tennie?"

They froze. The lights flickered on, revealing a similar-looking cavern, but with brighter, more numerous torches, and-

"Sasuke?"

He looked calm, unharmed, even. Like he'd just had a long, relaxing bath and extensive spa treatments right afterwards. Sasuke _grinned,_ of all things.

Neji, Tenten and Shikamaru didn't return his pleasantry, even though Tenten just wanted to run up to her childhood friend and hug the living daylights out of him.

"ChiChi, what are you doing here? The exit isn't too far away, let's go."

"No," he declined, still smiling that infuriatingly blank smile, "That exit's a trap - I've already tried it. There's no way out. We might as well just stay here for now, until someone finds us."

If anyone else besides Tenten noticed how robotic Sasuke sounded, they didn't voice it. Shikamaru, with his eyes narrowed and his expression sceptical, hadn't let a single sound out of his mouth since Sasuke's reappearance. Then again, she mused, the Uchiha _was_ the reason why his arm was currently unusable.

Sasuke walked away. "Follow me, I found a few bedrooms in this hallway. We can just settle in for the night."

Neji inclined his head towards Tenten. "Ladies first."

"Do you even trust him right now?" She whispered back, shooting apprehensive glances at Sasuke's back. "He seems...different."

Shikamaru groaned. "It's not like we can do much else. There's a fifty-fifty chance that the light up there is a real trap, and I'm willing to bet my arm on Sasuke's fifty. My dead one. Either way, whether we follow him or not, we'll be in danger."

"This is just _fan-tas-tic_. Of all the Tournaments to get involved in, it's the one that's completely screwed up." She stared at her friend's back again. "What if _he's_ pulling us into another trap? Then what?"

"Shadow magic?" Shikamaru offered sarcastically. "He was smart, setting up all these lights. I can't see a thing from here."

Neji let out a frustrated noise. "Can we just make a decision?"

"If you're quite done warbling at each other," Sasuke's sonorous voice cut into their discussion, "I can provide medical assistance, which, judging by the way you all look, is highly necessary."

"And just _how_ do you happen to have medical assistance?"

"Well, not me. Sakura."

Neji perked up immediately. "There are more team members in here?"

"Most of us are inside this cave," Sasuke tapped his fingers against his arms impatiently, "You three are the last to arrive."

Tenten grimaced when Neji bounded up to Sasuke like a dog meeting its master, then plastered a fake smile onto her face.

Sasuke returned her smile, and held onto her arm protectively as they started to turn into a corner. "Hate to keep everyone waiting, wouldn't we?"

She didn't like the ominous feeling that fell upon her with each successive step, or the carefully-composed masks present on everyone's poker faces, or the loud hissing sounds emanating from a few rooms they'd passed while walking down the tunnel. Tenten felt herself slipping back into her old ways, the mistrustful ones, in which every passing face was a threat to her existence, and every warm smile held people's hatred of her at bay. Newly-orphaned Tenten was cold, indifferent, _friendless_. That was how she fed herself on the street at night and worked her way up the ranks of Suna's Academy - _efficiency was the key to her survival_.

If she was going to survive this, whatever _this_ was, then old-Tenten needed to come back. She saw Sasuke's calculative eyes flicker over to her, as though he'd sensed her change in resolve.

Typical Sasuke; he'd always been more attuned to her emotions than most people. Except Gaara. Gaara was her kindred spirit. She needed old-Gaara to survive too, not the tame one. No. She wanted the unhinged one with a bloodthirsty attitude that could beat down a ravenous lion without a second thought.

The Tournament was over; now, it was time to turn over the rotten leaf. She blinked.

"Yes, that would be monstrously rude."


	19. Chapter 19

If there was anything worse than being held accountable for the spontaneous disappearance of fourteen teenagers, it was not knowing _why_ or _how_ they'd vanished in the first place. Nothing was making any sense, but she suspected that the white scroll in the river had been tampered with the moment they placed it there on the second day. It wasn't supposed to be opened, nor would it have even if the competitors had tried, and the last thing Tsunade expected the object to do was teleport them all away. She groaned.

Three days into the most hyped-up event of the year, and everything was already going haywire. Tsunade really needed a break.

"So," Jiraiya, appropriately grave, nestled his face in his hands, "I have no idea what's going on."

She nodded, downing a bottle of sake. Shizune said nothing in protest.

"What about Orochimaru? Any news of him?"

The white-haired man looked up and grimaced. "Nothing. But I'm _sure_ he's behind this. If he isn't, the timing is too convenient." His agents had been sent out, left, right and centre, in search for the Tournament members, and returned, void of any plausible results. Everything was too suspicious, and she was all too aware that the longer they took to find the kids, the more danger they were going to be in. She prayed that some of them would act to find a way out of their predicament, if they were even conscious.

That worried her, too. Orochimaru was known for performing various experiments, heinous tests, on unwilling victims. He'd had a habit of mutilating their bodies 'in the name of science' and leaving them on the side of the road, back before the Sandaime had banished him from Konoha. The only hope she had for the teenagers' survival is that their bodies hadn't been haphazardly dumped in an obscure location, yet.

A knock on the door, followed by some loud grumbles, startled them out of their contemplative silence. "The Yondaime Kazekage requests your presence, Principal."

She hid the sake bottle in her drawer, then neatened up her hair. Oh, boy. Here came trouble. "Enter."

Decked from head to toe in simple, black robes, the Yondaime Kazekage strode in with a frown marring his severe features. All three adults stood up from their seats and bowed in greeting.

Rasa's face was stern, and held thinly-veiled contempt within its wrinkles. "I must admit," he said, "I am highly displeased with this turn of events."

Tsunade's back straightened. Straight to the point, as per usual. "With all due respect, we share the same sentiments."

He scowled. "Clearly not, judging by the sheer lack of effort you have put into finding all fourteen children, among whom," he raised his voice when Tsunade threw him a sharp glare, "Three are my own flesh and blood. I trust," he continued with a sneer, "That this issue will be resolved."

"We are doing our best," Jiraiya spoke up, "But the perpetrator of this heinous crime has not yet been caught."

"But, you have a lead, yes?"

"We have a lead," Tsunade turned Rasa's focus back to her. If she was going to receive any criticisms for this Tournament's crappy turnout, no one else would go down with her. Especially not Jiraiya. "And our most skilled trackers are being deployed to find him as we speak."

She thanked Kami that the Yondaime Kazekage was, above all else, a military man who acted out of ruthless calculation rather than impulsive rage - as far as she was aware, anyway. His expression relaxed marginally. "Exactly ten of my men will scour the Forest of Death for any signs of suspicious activity, and they will find this man. Let it be known that they are under orders to execute him on sight."

She nodded agreeably. "Orochimaru. He is no longer a citizen of Konoha; I assure you that there will be no mercy for him."

"Ah, him." His frown deepened. "He has returned."

"Yes." They lapsed into silence. "But, we are doing our best to find before it is too late."

Rasa's dark eyes flitted back to Tsunade's face. "The question is, what is 'it'?"

* * *

After a gruellingly tense walk down several series of dark corridors, Sasuke led the three Genshos into a large, well-lit cavern. He opened the door, revealing a room full of exactly fourteen beds, fourteen sets of pillows, and eleven other teenagers huddled in the middle.

Okay, creepy.

They all looked up at the same time; Sakura was the first to gasp and extract Shikamaru from Neji's arms before taking him into a separate room for "medical treatment". Tenten nodded tersely, then wordlessly strode over to her grinning team members.

"You're safe," Temari pulled her into a relieved hug. Gaara looked up at her from behind his sister, dark eyes boring into her own. She smiled back weakly. After Temari released her, and finished checking her over for any serious injuries, Ino pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Thank Kami, I was getting worried. Do you know what's going on?" The last part wasn't voiced out loud, but resounded through her head comfortingly. _Sasuke's been acting strange ever since we came to._

_When exactly was that?_

_A few hours ago? I'm not sure._ Ino's baby blue eyes peered back at her with blazing uncertainty. _We can't really tell what time it is in here._

Gaara's voice was the next to filter through. _Save the conversation for later. We need to at least act like we can't talk to each other in our heads._

Tenten couldn't stop her mouth from dropping open. Were they all _mind-linked_? When had Ino learned to do _that_?

_It took a while_ , Ino's voice said smugly, _But once I realised that it was totally possible, I started off with Temari, then gradually linked up everyone else. Well,_ They all turned towards Sasuke, who was chatting idly with Neji. _"Except for him. He isn't getting through to us._

Gaara growled at them furiously. _Talk later._

Tenten released herself from Ino's hug, then made her way into Sakura's treatment room, which was surprisingly well-stocked with supplies. She was hesitant to strike up a conversation with the girl. Outside of Team Suna, everyone else was a stranger.

"How's he holding up?"

The pink-haired girl frowned, the only indication that she'd acknowledged Tenten's presence. "It's serious. And, the metal coat doesn't help either." Tenten blushed, then waved her hand and wielded the metal away from his arm. A putrid stench immediately filled the air; she felt like puking.

Sakura's hand glowed a fluorescent green as she moved it down the length of his arm. Slowly, but surely, the burning, red flesh and ulcers were replaced by fresh layers of skin. The boy groaned, then sighed in relief before relaxing into a state of unconsciousness.

Tenten's eyes widened. "Did you just bring his arm back to life?" Sakura stood up, legs shaking uncontrollably. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Sakura winced, "I will be. After some rest. Carry him out for me, will you?"

Evidently, replacing Shikamaru's arm had taken a toll on the medic. But, still. Tenten brushed the tips of her fingers over Shikamaru's newly-healed arm. Even though the stench was still floating around the room, it was undeniable that Sakura had done a remarkable job of healing him. She could see why the girl was so treasured, now.

The door opened, revealing Neji, now changed into the same white robes as Sasuke, with his hair tied back into an immaculate ponytail. Tenten pretended not to notice the weird change, and gave him a hesitant smile. "Hey, you," she crooned, in faux-affection.

"Hello," Neji strode towards Shikamaru without another word. Nimble white fingers danced along the same surface of Shikamaru's skin that Tenten had examined moments earlier; Neji finally deigned to speak up. "Incredible." He glanced up at her, moon-like eyes blank and void of any emotion. "You may leave."

"I do what I want, thanks," she growled back. He narrowed his eyes at her. "In any case, we need to get him into the bedroom, so he can recuperate on an actual bed. Let's not waste any time arguing here."

Pushing past Neji, Tenten effortlessly hoisted Shikamaru onto her back and repositioned him so that his arms were wrapped around her neck. She treaded past the Hyuga boy cautiously, catching sight of the blazing red tattoo still emblazoned onto his neck, then recalled his words from earlier. It'd been hurting _like a bitch,_ and that was one of the last times she'd seen the _real_ Hyuga Neji. The one who'd been warming up to her, the one who'd been suspicious of Sasuke for a solid three days before he became a little puppy. That tattoo definitely had something to do with his rapid change in personality.

But what did that matter to her, when her Team was on the other side of these walls, held captive against their own will? All seven of them were in strangers' territory.

Konoha wasn't their home, Sasuke wasn't supposed to be under some sort of trance-like state, and-

"Tenten."

She paused in her tracks, her hand inches away from the doorknob. She tilted her face ever-so-slightly towards Neji, acknowledging his call.

"Put him down. I have business I need to take care of." She felt a chill run down her spine. His voice was cold, unfeeling, laced with a venomous poison she couldn't place her hands on. This new figure hidden inside Neji's body was definitely a shady one.

To hell with it, Tenten was used to taking risks. She threw the door open and quickly strode out of the room towards her teammates.

They encircled her at once; Gaara stood by her side, steadfast and calm. Reassuring.

She placed Shikamaru on the bed beside Temari's, ever-vigilant Temari, and glanced back over her shoulder towards the still-open door. Neji was still inside the medical room, staring her down like she was the bane of his existence. Tenten could live with that anger. At least there was emotion. At least he wasn't that unnervingly rigid Neji with the fanboy-complex for Sasuke. Speak of the devil: Sasuke joined him a few seconds later, noticed his livid glaring, then turned his head towards Tenten. Blank, empty. She looked away, trying not to let her legs shake from the foreboding auras emanating from the two boys.

"Tenten?" Gaara held onto her arm, whispering quietly. His eyes flickered towards Neji and Sasuke, then returned to her. "You okay?"

She breathed; in and out, in and out. It wasn't time to play nice anymore. Cruel Tenten needed to come out again. Ruthless Tenten from the Yondaime's training regimen needed to bubble back to the surface. Ruthless Tenten needed Gaara. The crazy Gaara. It was time.

Her mouth set itself in a grim line. Her brown eyes steeled themselves, locking away any feelings that might escape from their depths. She turned towards Gaara, her best friend, who met her gaze before nodding in understanding. Their backs stiffened simultaneously.

Temari, brushing the hair out of Shikamaru's eyes as she conversed with Ino in a hushed voice, rose her head and hastily gathered all of Team Suna around into a circle.

They sat around Shikamaru's bed, heads bent down together as though they were fretting over his sleeping form. Gaara's fingers laced through Tenten's ones comfortingly, like he did when they were thirteen and still wary of all the bullies who treated them like scum. She squeezed his hand in return.

_So, new plan?_ Temari continued brushing at Shikamaru's hair. To Tenten's surprise, the boy's grouchy voice joined into the conversation.

_Could you just stop that? It's troublesome._

Ino fiddled with the blankets. _We're busting out of here, and we need you, Shika._

A hint of approval was evident in Kankurou's voice. _Yeah. We need your shadow magic._

Tenten saw a muscle twitch uncomfortably in Shikamaru's cheek. _Not magic. And, sure. This place is a bore._

In a rare act of compassion, Sai voiced his concerns. _What about the rest of Team Konoha? Surely, we cannot leave them here with those two?_

Tenten risked a peek at the five members of Team Konoha who were supposedly not under the control of a crazy tattoo - or so she hoped. Hinata was nervously tending to Sakura, weary of the watchful patrol Neji was enforcing on the sleeping medic, and the three normally-rowdy boys were uncharacteristically silent in their seats around Sakura's bed. Personally, Tenten wanted to ditch them and leave. Aside from Sakura and her impressive skills, Tenten saw no reason to drag more people along with them.

Team Suna functioned well as a unit. She trusted that all six of them could make it out of this place without a hitch, and Shikamaru's abilities provided an even better means of travel. But, with three boys who'd so far struggled to keep their voices down or even act stealthy for the sake of other people's safety, a Hyuga girl whose familial ties could very well place them in graver danger, and a medic who was completely knocked out, their success rates diminished rapidly. Clearly, everyone else was thinking along the same lines as her, because Ino and Kankurou vehemently protested against the idea, and Gaara was frowning in disapproval.

Sai shrugged.

_Just a suggestion. We really shouldn't underestimate Team Konoha._

_But_ , Gaara quipped, _We don't want to take anymore risks, either. The Haruno medic is the only other one I'm willing to take with us. She is useful._

_You all sound like psychopaths, by the way._ Shikamaru's frown increased. Temari smoothed it out, tut-tutting under her breath to continue their fake-caring act, and that Shikamaru was still unconscious rather than feigning it. Tenten had to hand it to the guy; he really knew how to pretend he was asleep. Being lazy really did have its benefits.

_I don't think we have long to propose anything else anymore. Sasuke and Neji are starting to creep me out, and those tattoos on their necks aren't getting any less evil_. Tenten shuddered inwardly, then felt Gaara's hand tighten over hers.

_Right. So, when are we busting out?_

They all looked at Temari, who was mulling it over in her mind.

_Ino,_ the blonde slowly met their leader's gaze, _Think you could give your new ability a shot? Just for an hour or so. I need you to look for a clear path out of here._

_I'll do my best._

_Wha-_

Before Tenten could voice out so much as a question, she felt a cold hand fall upon her shoulder. Crap.

"What are you all looking so grim for? Shikamaru has been healed, has he not?" Neji was grinning down at them all as Sasuke came up beside him with a cold smirk on his face. "I suggest we all celebrate with a hearty meal. Kami knows we all need the food."

Tenten forced herself not to pry Neji's hand away from her shoulder blade, and beamed back at the two of them elatedly.

"Great! What are we having?"

They smirked, then said, in synchronised monotones, "Knuckle sandwiches."

Neji raised his fists towards her face, and in the blink of an eye, she threw herself away from his reach, swiftly pulling a metal lamp off the wall and hurling it at him with ferocity she hadn't accessed in years. He pulled up a shield to block the impact, so Tenten made use of the distraction to wrench herself out of Gaara's grip and hover over Shikamaru protectively. She inhaled, then felt the metallic walls surround her body like a glove.

Then, all hell broke loose.


End file.
